‘MALICIOUS ATTACK’

Rebel Wilson Awarded $3.6M in Defamation Case

Actress gets Australia’s largest-ever payout for such a case.

Actress and comedian Rebel Wilson has been awarded a record $3.6 million in an Australian defamation case, in which she claimed that a series of articles in Bauer Media magazines had falsely portrayed her as a serial liar. A jury had unanimously sided with the Pitch Perfect star in June, and Wilson has since announced she will donate the money to charity. Wilson tweeted that Bauer Media had “subjected [her] to a sustained and malicious attack.” Justice John Dixon said Wednesday that “substantial vindication” could 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.”