Defamation case against Rebel Wilson dismissed by Australian court
Sydney, Australia – A Sydney court on Wednesday dismissed a defamation case against Australian film star Rebel Wilson by another actor.
Charlotte MacInnes, who featured in Wilson's directing debut The Deb, accused Rebel Wilson of defaming her in 2024 by suggesting MacInnes had changed an account of having been a victim of sexual harassment to advance her career.
The federal court case focused on an incident in which MacInnes, who was 25 at the time, and the producer and financier of The Deb, Amanda Ghost, then 49, shared a bath in an apartment after swimming at Sydney's Bondi Beach.
Wilson alleged that MacInnes had complained to her the next day about being uncomfortable about Ghost asking her to take the bath.
Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case against Wilson and ordered MacInnes to pay costs.
"To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement," Raper said in the judgment.
The court found that while one of Wilson's 2024 Instagram posts had suggested MacInnes "changed her story about feeling uncomfortable about what happened in the bathroom," this was not defamatory and was also "substantially true."
"It is obvious that Ms. Ghost, a 49-year-old woman, should have appreciated the inappropriateness of her conduct regardless of whether there was any sexual motivation or conduct," the judgment read.
On Instagram, the Pitch Perfect star thanked the judge and Australian legal system for a "substantial win today."
"I'm looking forward to getting back to what I love most, my family, and my work," Rebel Wilson wrote. "Thank you to the Judge and the Australian legal system who I have the utmost respect for."
Cover photo: Screenshot/Instagram/@rebelwilson