An Australian court cleared Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rebel Wilson of a defamation lawsuit brought against her by actress Charlotte MacInnes.The court on Wednesday, dismissed the case and ordered MacInnes to pay Wilson’s legal costs. Justice Elizabeth Raper of the New South Wales Supreme Court delivered the ruling, rejecting claims that Wilson’s Instagram posts had ‘defamed’ her and caused serious harm to her reputation and career.
Court dismisses defamation claim
MacInnes, who played the lead role in Wilson’s directorial debut ‘The Deb’, alleged that Wilson had spread false statements about her to millions of followers on Instagram. She argued that the posts had made her “the subject of abuse, hatred and ridicule online”.However, Justice Raper dismissed the claim, finding that MacInnes had found that MacInnes had failed to establish the posts had caused or were likely to serious harm. The judge also ruled that the implication that MacInnes had changed her story about the incident was not defamatory and ordered the actress to pay Wilson’s legal costs.
Rebel Wilson pens emotional note
ID@undefined Caption not available.Following the ruling, Rebel took to her social media handle to share, “My love, (apart from my gorgeous family and friends obviously), is entertaining people – making YOU laugh and hopefully feel something.In the first play I ever wrote, produced and starred in – a lady in the audience wrote to me saying that she brought along her 13 year old niece to watch it. Her niece had sadly had her mother pass away a few weeks earlier, and for the first time, sitting in the theatre watching my show, she smiled. This meant everything to me. Affecting people in this positive way is what drives me to work those incredibly long hours and to keep going amongst a sea of rejection in an industry full of sharks. It fuels me to have come from a dog-showing family in suburban Sydney, selling dog products out of our caravan, to becoming internationally known and respected. I know sometimes what I do can be ‘silly’ but to me it’s super important and I take my job really seriously. I love doing what I do and am so passionate about the things that I make and the brilliant people I work with. THE DEB, an Aussie musical comedy was my dream job – my directorial DEB-UT – my directorial debut, a celebration of Australian stories, and something I poured years of passion into alongside an incredible cast and crew. Seeing that journey disrupted has been incredibly difficult, but I have always believed it was a story worth telling.This process has taught me a lot. It has tested me, but it has also reinforced something I’ve always believed. I want to live my life standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy. I’m incredibly proud that I have continued making films, including my second film as director, GIRL GROUP, that is also pure fun and joy. And in MAJOR news it will co-incidentally also premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. I am SO proud and SO excited for audiences to experience these stories. Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I’m grateful this chapter has reached its conclusion and I’m looking forward to getting back to what I love most, my family and my work. Thank you to the Judge and the Australian legal system who I have the utmost respect for.”
About the lawsuit
The lawsuit stemmed from a series of Instagram posts in which Wilson suggested that MacInnes had withdrawn a complaint of sexual harassment involving producers of ‘The Deb’ in order to advance her career as an actor and singer.MacInnes denied ever making such a complaint.‘The Deb’, that is set in a rural Australian town, follows two cousins—one from the city and the other from the country—as they prepare for a debutante ball. While intended to be an uplifting coming-of-age story, its production has been overshadowed by multiple legal disputes involving allegations including smear campaigns and embezzlement.
The Bondi Beach incident
A significant part of the proceedings focused on an incident that occurred in September 2023, when MacInnes went swimming at Bondi Beach with Amanda Ghost, one of the film’s producers. According to evidence presented in court, Ghost suffered an allergic reaction after entering the cold water, prompting the pair to return to the luxury apartment and allegedly joined her in the shower. The court heard that both women were wearing swimsuits.In delivering her judgment, Justice Raper said, “To say that the circumstance surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement.”
Wilson’s evidence
During the three-week trial earlier this year, Wilson testified that MacInnes had spoken to her the day after the Bondi Beach incident and allegedly said, “Amanda asked me to have a bath and shower with her and it made me feel uncomfortable.”Wilson told the court she later contacted MacInnes again because she was concerned about what had happened. Following that conversation, Wilson sent Ghost a text message, which was produced as evidence during the trial. It read, “Charlotte says all good. She just meant ‘it was a bizarre situation’ not that she felt personally uncomfortable.”
