Rebel Wilson repays $4.2m of record compensation payout against Bauer Media

REBEL Wilson has repaid almost $4.2 million of the record compensation payout she won in Australia’s biggest defamation victory.

REBEL Wilson has repaid almost $4.2 million of the record compensation payout she won in Australia’s biggest defamation victory.

The figure includes $60,000 in interest, or an estimated $225-a-day between when she was awarded the record amount and ordered to pay it back.

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Rebel Wilson has repaid almost $4.2 million of the record compensation payout she won in Australia’s biggest defamation victory. Picture: AFP Photo

The Hollywood actor was forced to repay Bauer Media, the magazine publisher found guilty of defaming her in a series of articles, after Victoria’s highest court ruled the majority of her compensation had been wrongly awarded.

Wilson is now seeking to challenge that decision in the High Court, whose decision, if she is granted leave to bring the appeal, will end a saga that has lasted more than two years.

Wilson launched defamation action in May 2016 over a string of articles she said destroyed her reputation.

She was awarded a record $4,749, 920 payout made up of $650,000 in general damages, $3,917,472 for economic loss and $182,448 in interest.

But it was overturned on appeal and Wilson ordered to repay $4,122,755 and interest of $60,316,45.

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.

It also reduced the general damages amount by $50,000 leaving Wilson with a total payout of just $600,000.

Wilson later hit out at the Court of Appeal claiming she will be left out of pocket after also being ordered to pay a portion of Bauer’s legal costs.