Rebel Wilson’s Record Defamation Payout Slashed By Oz Court
Magazine publisher Bauer Media has successfully appealed against the size of a record defamation payout made to Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids star Rebel Wilson.
Wilson previously won a case against the publisher in Australian court after she says she was wrongly portrayed as a serial liar. At the time she successfully argued that eight articles published by Bauer magazines in 2015 had resulted in her being sacked from two films.
The Oz court had ordered Bauer to pay her A$4.5m ($3.6m), a record for an Australian defamation case. The lion’s share of the payout was to compensate for the roles she had lost out on. On Thursday, however, the Victorian Court of Appeal reduced the sum to A$600,000, saying that Wilson had failed to prove that Bauer was responsible for her missing out on the roles.
Wilson is currently in Europe in pre-production on Taika Waititi’s war-drama Jojo Rabbit but she tweeted that the case was “never about the money” and that proceeds would be going to charity.
What happens tomorrow is to do with the losers @bauermedia quibbling about how much they now have to pay me. While this case was never about the money for me, I do hope to receive as much as possible to give away to charities and to support the Australian film industry.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 13, 2018
Additionally, I’m away on location in Europe filming right now. The Court of Appeal in Australia will be handing down their decision in the morning re my defamation case against @bauermedia . As I’ve said before, I have already WON the case and this is UNCHALLENGED!
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 13, 2018
During the case, Wilson said the articles had alleged that she lied about her name, age and upbringing in Australia.
Bauer welcomed the verdict of the appeal on Thursday, arguing it had “broader implications” for the local media industry. Six leading Australian media firms — including News Corp Australia and Australian Broadcasting Corporation — had attempted to appeal against the size of the original payout claiming it would stifle journalism in the ‘public interest’, but their application was unsuccessful.
Publishing giant Bauer’s Oz titles include Woman’s Day and the Australian Women’s Weekly. International brands include film magazine Empire and music magazine Q.
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