Bauer Media received £ 2.7million Australian libel payment for magazine articles about actress Rebel Wilson

Bauer Media received £ 2.7million Australian libel payment for magazine articles about actress Rebel Wilson


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Actress Rebel Wilson has received record defamation damages of A $ 4.56 million (£ 2,685,000) for magazine articles she says cost her roles in Hollywood films.

A jury at the Supreme Court of the Australian state of Victoria ruled in June that the articles, which claimed Ms Wilson had lied about her age, the origins of her first name and her education in Sydney, were libelous.

Justice John Dixon told the Melbourne Supreme Court on September 13 that a substantial award was needed to “defend” Wilson after her reputation as “an actress of integrity was unfairly damaged”.

Bauer Media, publisher of Australian magazines Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, NW and OK, said it was reviewing the judgment.

Bauer, based in Germany, is also one of the UK’s largest magazine publishers.

Wilson, 37, who is best known for the comedies “Pitch Perfect” and “Bridesmaids”, was in London the day the damages were announced, and her lawyers were unable to speak to her about the decision.

Wilson said on Twitter that the case “was not about the money.”

She tweeted: “I can’t wait to help great Australian charities and support the Oz film industry with the damages I have received. I also can’t wait to resume my career and keep everyone entertained!

His lawyer Richard Leder said in court the damages were about four times the previous Australian record for a defamation case.

Wilson’s legal team would also ask Bauer to pay all of his legal fees, Leder said.

The actress originally sought damages in excess of A $ 7 million.

Bauer Media had called this claim for damages “extraordinarily important” and made on the “most tenuous basis”.

Bauer’s lawyer Georgina Schoff told the judge Wilson had failed to prove the articles caused her financial loss.

But Bauer failed to prove that the articles published in 2015 were essentially true or that they were unlikely to harm his career.

The jury found that Bauer said Wilson lied about his age, claiming to be six years younger, and falsely claimed to have been named Rebel at birth.

They also found out that Bauer said Wilson lied about hallucinating about winning an Oscar while sick with malaria, her parents being dog trainers, being linked to the tycoon. American entertainment Walt Disney and growing up in a Sydney “ghetto”. .

Wilson blamed the Articles for the termination of film contracts.

Photo: Credit, Reuters.

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Amanda P. Whitten

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