Rebel Wilson slams ‘flippant’ Court of Appeal on Twitter over payout cut
HOLLYWOOD star Rebel Wilson has slammed Victoria’s highest court after it slashed her record defamation payout by almost $4 million.
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HOLLYWOOD star Rebel Wilson has slammed Victoria’s highest court after it slashed her record defamation payout by almost $4 million.
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In a Twitter tirade earlier this morning, Melbourne time, Wilson slammed the Court of Appeal as “flippant” after it upheld an appeal by magazine publisher Bauer Media.
“I was hoping the Court of Appeal in Australia would deliver a reasonable judgment today … ummmmm seeing as that HAS CLEARLY NOT happened I look forward to appealing! There’s some really bizarre things in there guys that are so obviously challengeable!” she wrote.
“Everybody knows I lost money after those maliciously defamatory articles were printed about me by @bauermedia in 2015. The learned trial judge and Australian jury on the case who heard all the evidence clearly agreed.”
Wilson won the biggest defamation payout in Australian history last year after taking magazine publisher Bauer Media to court over a string of articles she said destroyed her reputation.
She was awarded a record $650,000 in general damages and $3,917,472 in special damages for economic loss.
The payout prompted an immediate appeal by Bauer that was on Thursday upheld by the Court of Appeal.
In a massive blow to Wilson Justices Pamela Tate, David Beach and David Ashley award for economic loss finding it had been wrongly awarded.
It also reduced the general damages amount by $50,000 leaving Wilson with a total payout of just $600,000, still above the $389,000 cap for damages of that kind.
The court agreed with Bauer that trial judge Justice John Dixon had made an error when he ordered Wilson be compensated for losing film roles.
Wilson claimed she was sacked from two films — Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3 — and unable to land any more work due to the articles.
But the Court of Appeal found she failed to properly establish that she had suffered economic damages by losing movie roles.
“But somehow the Court of Appeal have been absolutely flippant with regards to my economic loss, not to mention my overall hurt and distress at having to stand up to these bullies,” Wilson tweeted.
“That’s now $4 million less going to less fortunate Australians and leaves a billionaire corporation, proven guilty of malicious defamation, being able to get away with their seriously harmful acts for a very low payday! Clearly not fair. Come on Australia.”
Wilson, who attended every day of the month long defamation trial and one day of the appeal, is currently in Europe filming new movie Jojo Rabbit.
She had vowed to donate any defamation payout to charity.
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