Rebel Wilson was found not liable of defaming a young actress who played the starring role in her directorial debut, The Deb.
According to CNN, an Australian judge dismissed the case on Wednesday that was brought by actress Charlotte MacInnes, who accused Wilson of sharing Instagram posts that suggested she was sexually harassed by Amanda Ghost — a producer on The Deb whom Wilson previously sued for breach of contract and fraud. MacInnes claimed the posts damaged her reputation.
A rep for MacInnes confirmed to Rolling Stone that she is planning to lodge an appeal against the ruling.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I’m grateful this chapter has reached its conclusion and I’m looking forward to getting back to what I love most, my family and my work,” Wilson said in an Instagram post following Wednesday’s verdict. “Thank you to the Judge and the Australian legal system who I have the utmost respect for.”
The legal battle focused on a disputed incident that took place at Ghost’s Bondi Beach bathroom on Sept. 5, 2023, after she and MacInnes went for an evening swim. In an Instagram video posted in July 2024, Wilson accused the producer of “inappropriate behavior” towards MacInnes that night, as well as embezzling funds from the film’s budget and trying to bury The Deb as retribution for Wilson’s reporting of the alleged “behavior.”
In court filings, Wilson claimed that Ghost forced MacInnes to live with her during the movie’s production and then pressured her to bath together in their swimsuits. Wilson stated that MacInnes told her she was uncomfortable with the situation, and in another social media post, Wilson suggested that MacInnes retracted her complaint to advance her music career. (Ghost is partnered with Warner Music Group, parent company to Atlantic, on projects related to music and film. In June, MacInnes released her debut album Highwater; Ghost is listed as a collaborator on the LP.)
MacInnes later disputed that account, describing the incident as a nonsexual response to a medical episode. According to The Guardian, during MacInnes’ April testimony in a federal court in Sydney, MacInnes denied telling Wilson that the incident made her uncomfortable.
Representatives for MacInnes previously referred to Wilson’s claim as “a malignant allegation against my client, that she sold the allegation of sexual harassment in exchange for her own professional and commercial benefit,” per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
This article was updated on July 22 at 5:26 a.m. ET to include a representative for Charlotte MacInnes confirming her plan to appeal Wednesday’s ruling.
