The stage is set for the final curtain to fall on a fiery defamation battle between A-lister Rebel Wilson and her up-and-coming co-star.
The Pitch Perfect star is being sued by Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes, who played the lead role in Wilson’s directorial debut film The Deb.
MacInnes claims Wilson defamed her in a series of 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 claimed the young actor confided in Wilson – and later recanted – that she felt uncomfortable when the film’s co-producer Amanda Ghost asked to have a shower and a bath together.
MacInnes denies making or retracting a complaint, insisting she had not been uncomfortable when the pair shared a bath in their swimwear after Ms Ghost suffered a medical episode in September 2023.
Both she and Wilson were branded liars during the fiery weeks-long court battle in the NSW Federal Court that pitted actor against actor in a fight for their reputations.
More than two months after the blockbuster hearing concluded, Justice Elizabeth Raper is set to hand down her decision on Wednesday afternoon.
MacInnes’ barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC accused Wilson of a “complete revision of history” littered with dishonesty during her emphatic closing address in May.
“She is a fantastical liar who has made up terrible, terrible allegations about multiple people and her own witnesses have discredited her,” she said.
“We say Ms Wilson cannot be believed on anything she has said.”
The first-time director lied to Ms Ghost about receiving a complaint to create division between her and MacInnes, whom she sought to paint as a troublemaker, Ms Chrysanthou said.
But Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain SC contended it was a “very weak motive” for his client to act against her interest.
“It’s clear Ms Wilson had no motive to lie about something as inherently disruptive to the harmony of the film as the making of a false complaint would be,” he said.
Instead, he charged MacInnes with dishonestly withdrawing the complaint about Ms Ghost to ensure her relationship with the producer continued to be fruitful.
MacInnes had received a lead role in a stage production and a six-figure record deal that were linked to Ms Ghost, he argued, and she wanted to ensure she continued to rise.
“Ms MacInnes is someone who gave false evidence under oath,” he said.
“(She) has suffered no harm, let alone serious harm.”
The young actor is seeking aggravated damages for the harm allegedly wrought by the posts, including a lengthy period without work.
Both MacInnes and Wilson denied lying, but Justice Raper will have the final say on credibility.
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