Rebel Wilson Awarded $3.6 Million In Damages From Tabloid Publisher Bauer Media

Rebel Wilson has won her court case and 4.56 million Australian dollars ($3.66 million) in damages from Australian tabloid publisher Bauer Media.

REBEL WILSON WINS MILLIONS DEFAMATION CASE

Wilson sued the publishers to defamation for articles that stated that the actress lied about her age, her upbringing, and her first name. She claimed that the false information spread by the tabloids cost her various roles in Hollywood films. A supreme court in Australia’s Victoria state decided in June that the articles were, in fact, defamatory, and yesterday ordered Bauer Media to pay Wilson a record-breaking amount of money in damages.

Judge John Dixon said the substantial amount was needed to “vindicate” the actress, as someone “of integrity was wrongly damaged.” Bauer Media, which publishes such Aussie magazines as Women’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, NW, and OK, said it was considering the judgement.

The 37-year-old actress, best known for her work in Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids, says the case wasn’t about the money for her. “She said that it was about holding Bauer Media to account,” explained her lawyer Richard Leder. Wilson, however, had originally sought more than AU$ 7 million. She did say in a later tweet that she plans to donate many Australian charities with her payout.

Bauer Media attempted to defend themselves by saying the damages claim was “extraordinarily large” and was made on the “most tenuous of basis.” The company failed, however, to prove that the articles were based on any factual evidence.

“Today was the end of a long and hard court battle against Bauer Media who viciously tried to take me down with a series of false articles. “When the jury delivered its verdict they answered every single point in my favor. Today Justice Dixon accepted that Bauer Media subjected me to a sustained and malicious attack timed to coincide with the launch of Pitch 2. The judge accepted without qualification that I had an extremely high reputation and that the damage inflicted on me was substantial. He said the nature of the aggravated defamation and the unprecedented extent of dissemination makes vindication of particular importance,” Wilson said in a series of tweets after her victory. “The judge said he knew that the info from anonymous paid source was false. And that Bauer Media traded recklessly on my reputation in order to boost its own profits. Justice Dixon has awarded me a record sum and I’m extremely grateful for that. It is 4 times the Australian record. To me though, this case wasn’t about the money. I’m looking forward to helping out some great Australian charities and supporting the Oz film industry with the damages I’ve received. Also looking forward to getting back to my career and entertaining everyone! Thank you again for the love and support! I am humbled x.”