Rebel with a cause to celebrate... £2.7m win
COMEDIAN Rebel Wilson won a record £2.7million in damages yesterday in a long-running libel battle – and vowed to give it away.
The Aussie-born star was awarded the cash in her own country by a judge who said she should be “vindicated”.
Wilson, 37, had sued magazine publisher Bauer Media over a series of articles which she claimed cost her three film roles worth millions.
A jury found in her favour last June and a judge ruled she should get a “substantial” payout to “nail the lie”.
The comic and actress, best known for her parts in the Pitch Perfect films, was awarded £394,000 in general damages and £2.3million in special damages – the highest ever for a libel case in Australia.
Justice John Dixon told the Melbourne court Bauer Media had an “unprecedented” global reach and had run articles even after it knew they contained false allegations.
Stories in Woman’s Day magazine claimed, among other things, that Wilson after jury found in her favour in June Wilson had lied about her childhood. The star heard the news in the middle of the night in Britain, where she spends much of her time, and said she was “very grateful”.
She added that she planned to give the payout to help charities and the film industry Down Under.
Bauer Media said in a statement it was considering the judgment.
The previous record for defamation damages in Australia was £1.4million.