Rebel Wilson Wins Again in ‘The Deb’ Court Battle as Co-Producers Are Awarded Just $10
Australian star Rebel Wilson has secured another major court victory in the legal battle over her debut film ‘The Deb’, after a New South Wales Supreme Court judge largely dismissed a case brought by the film's co-producers and awarded them just $10 in damages.
The ‘Pitch Perfect’ star directed, co-produced and starred in the musical comedy, which has become the battleground for multiple legal battles in Australia and the United States.
The film had a budget of $22 million but made just $335,000 at the local box office, a result its co-producers alleged could be traced to what they described as Wilson's false and derogatory statements about them online.
In posts from July 2024, Wilson claimed that producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden tried to block the release of ‘The Deb’, embezzled money and behaved inappropriately towards the film's star.
The producers alleged that Wilson caused their company financial and reputational damage in an attempt to devalue her debut film so that she could purchase it from them.
On Friday, Justice Elisabeth Peden in the New South Wales Supreme Court awarded the trio $10 in damages and otherwise dismissed their summons in a brief decision, with a written judgment to follow.
Wilson had denied her co-producers' allegations and countersued, claiming their involvement in the film was marked by a troubling pattern of illicit and egregious behaviour, including theft, bullying and sexual misconduct. The judge awarded her $359,000 plus interest on her counterclaim.
It was the second victory for Wilson after she was cleared earlier this year of defaming her debut film's star Charlotte MacInnes following a fiery federal court hearing.
MacInnes claimed Wilson defamed her in four social media posts that implied she was a liar and a sellout who walked back a sexual harassment complaint to further her career.
The posts alleged that the young actor had confided in Wilson — and later recanted — that she felt uncomfortable when co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together.
MacInnes denied making or retracting a complaint, insisting she had not been uncomfortable when the pair shared a bath in their swimwear after Ghost suffered a medical episode in September 2023. The federal court found that none of Wilson's posts were defamatory.
With this latest ruling, Wilson's position in the long-running dispute over ‘The Deb’ has strengthened further, although the full reasoning will only become clear when the written judgment is published and any next steps are announced.
