AUSTRALIAN actress Rebel Wilson today won a defamation suit against a magazine giant over articles she claimed damaged her career by depicting her as a serial liar.
She said a series of stories published by Bauer Media in 2015 claiming she lied about her real name, age and childhood cost her significant acting roles and income.
Bauer denied the articles were defamatory but the jury of six women at Victoria’s Supreme Court found all eight articles had defamed Ms Wilson.
The Pitch Perfect actor, who was seeking unspecified damages, said she felt she “had to take a stand”.
“I had to stand up to a bully, a huge media organisation, Bauer Media, who maliciously took me down in 2015 with a series of grubby and completely false articles,” she told reporters.
The level of damages will be decided at a later date.
Ms Wilson had returned to Melbourne from Los Angeles to give evidence at the three-week trial – she sat in court every day and spent six days in the witness box herself.
At one stage she broke down in tears as she addressed the court.
She claimed that eight articles published by Bauer magazine in 2015 had portrayed her as a serial liar, and that this resulted in her being sacked from two feature films.
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Her defence said the articles “tore down an Australian star to sell magazines”.
Ms Wilson’s lawyer, Dr Matthew Collins, QC, questioned why Bauer was unable to identify “a single person” to whom the actress had supposedly told a lie.
“The reason why they came up with nothing, of course, is obvious. Rebel Wilson has not lied,” he said.
“Her claim is not about money, it is about restoring her reputation.”
Giving evidence, often in tears, Ms Wilson claimed she was sacked from DreamWorks animated feature films Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3 following the articles.
“Bauer Media took me down with a series of grubby and completely false articles,” said the star outside the court.
“Far too often I feel the tabloid magazines and the journalists that work for them don’t abide by professional ethics.
“Far too often I can only describe their conduct as disgusting and disgraceful and I’m very glad that the jury has agreed with me. And with the unanimous and overwhelming verdict they have sent a very clear message.”
Ms Wilson, who will now jet to New York to shoot a film with fellow Australian Liam Hemsworth, said she was grateful the drama was now over.
“It’s a win for everyone who gets maliciously taken down when there’s no reason why that should happen,” she said.
After the verdict, a Bauer Media spokeswoman said the publisher would “consider its options”.