Rebel Wilson is an Australian actress and comedian. She has risen to fame over the past few years in Hollywood and is best known for her role as Fat Amy in the "Pitch Perfect" franchise. The actress is reportedly suing for Defamation and is looking for up to $7 million in compensation.
Why is Wilson filing for defamation?
According to The Guardian, Wilson seeks compensation after a total of 8 articles were published by Bauer Media. The star claims that these articles lead to defamation and resulted in her losing out on roles. Her lawyer, Matthew Collins, told the court that Wilson has lost a total of $18 million because of this defamation in which the articles referred to the actor as a serial liar.
Wilson has requested two different payments. The star is looking for nearly $6 million in Special Damages and a further $1.2 million in further damages. For cases of Victorian defamation Wilson's team have revealed that the star could receive a cap of $389,500 for emotional damages.
In regards to what Wilson will do with her winnings from the case, she has taken to Twitter and announced that she will be donating any money she receives. She has shown her intent to donate to both charities and scholarships. The star has stated that she takes her role as a role model very seriously.
What does Bauer have to say about the trial?
Bauer Publisher's defense, Georgina Schoff, has expressed that over the 5-week trial Wilson has failed to prove that the articles have affected her fame.
The articles were not published in the US and as such, Schoff told the court, there is no way of proving Wilson lost out on money because of the articles. Schoff went on to explain that there is no evidence that of the people in the United States have even read the articles by Bauer.
Furthermore, it was revealed that Wilson was fired from movies such as "Kung Fu Panda 3" and "Trolls".
Bauer was not responsible for this or for Wilson finding herself out of work for two years in the aftermath. Schoff also drew attention to the fact that it took Wilson at least 12 months to file the defamation report. The defense for Bauer Publishing asked the judge to take this into consideration.
The articles in question were published in 2015 in magazines such as "Australian Women’s Weekly" and "OK!" Justice John Dixon has stated that it will be a number of weeks before the verdict is released. It is unknown how much compensation Wilson is entitled to. It is expected that the case will come to a close on July 1.
