Rebel Wilson wins record breaking amount in defamation case against Bauer Media
An initial judgement was made back in June
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Your support makes all the difference.Rebel Wilson has been awarded the largest payout for a defamation case in Australia’s history, the amount totalling A$4.5m (£2.7m).
The Bridesmaids actor successfully argued that eight articles published by Bauer Media’s magazines falsely portrayed her as a serial liar.
An Australian jury sided with Wilson back in June, concluding that the actor lost Hollywood roles and should be paid money as compensation.
Justice John Dixon told the Supreme Court of Victoria, via the BBC, that the defamation case was “unprecedented" for the country.
"Substantial vindication can only be achieved by an award of damages that underscores that Ms Wilson's reputation as an actress of integrity was wrongly damaged in a manner that affected her marketability in a huge worldwide marketplace,” he said.
Bauer Media denies the articles were defamatory, a lawyer saying they are considering further action.
Wilson was not in court when the money was awarded but was present in June when the initial judgement was given.
"I had to stand up to a bully, a huge media organisation, Bauer Media, who maliciously took me down in 2015 with a series of grubby and completely false articles,” she said, pledging to give the money to "charity, scholarships or [investment] into the Aussie film industry to provide jobs”.
Wilson was present every day in court throughout the three-week trial, spending six days in the witness box. A six-woman jury rejected Bauer Media’s claims that the articles were subjectively true and did not affect Wilson’s acting career.
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