The record defamation award that Wilson won in September last year has been reduced significantly on appeal.
Rebel Wilson has seen her record Australian defamation award of $4.6 million reduced significantly to $600,000 on appeal, following arguments made by the defendants.
The Pitch Perfect star, 38, was awarded the original pay-out over a defamation lawsuit, after she sued Bauer Media for publishing articles claiming that she had lied about her background and age in order to further her career.
Wilson won the case back in September last year, but immediately the media group appealed, arguing that the sum awarded, the largest for such a case in Australian legal history, would set a “dangerous precedent” and that the original judgment was based on errors in law.
Rebel Wilson has seen the size of her defamation pay-out slashed
She was originally awarded $3.9 million to represent loss of earnings and an additional $650,000 in damages. However, the Victorian Court of Appeal decided on Thursday (June 14th) that Wilson should not receive any money for loss of earnings, and cutting the compensation for damages to $600,000.
More: Rebel Wilson fails in costs bid over defamation lawsuit victory
The actress had argued in front of a jury at Victoria Supreme Court that the publication Woman’s Day, owned by Bauer Media, portrayed her as a serial liar in a number of articles back in 2015, which had damaged her reputation and led her to be fired from the films Trolls and Kung-Fu Panda 3.
However, the Court of Appeal found that there was no basis for Wilson to receive financial damages for the potential loss of roles, because the judge in the original case had relied on evidence from the star and two Hollywood agents to conclude that she had lost job opportunities.
Wilson, who is in Europe filming and was therefore not present in court, had been in bullish mood before the latest hearing, tweeting on Wednesday: “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.”
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