Rebel Wilson has received a record pay out in a libel settlement against an Australian women's magazine which published a story claiming that the Pitch Perfect actress had lied about her name, age and upbringing. Rebel was awarded over £3.3million in damages in the largest defamation pay out in Australian legal history. The money comprised of £3489,000 in general damages and £2.9million special damages.
READ: Rebel Wilson talks defamation trial: 'It's really important that the truth comes out'
© Photo: Getty ImagesRebel tweeted about the pay out
Rebel revealed that she planned to donate the money to charity in a series of tweets. She wrote: "Today was the end of a long and hard court battle… When the jury delivered its verdict they answered every single point in my favour. Today Justice Dixon accepted that Bauer Media subjected me to a sustained and malicious attack timed to coincide with the launch of Pitch 2. The judge accepted without qualification that I had an extremely high reputation and that the damage inflicted on me was substantial. He said the nature of the aggravated defamation and the unprecedented extent of dissemination makes vindication of particular importance"
She added: "Justice Dixon has awarded me a record sum and I’m extremely grateful for that. It is 4 times the Australian record. To me though, this case wasn’t about the money. I'm looking forward to helping out some great Australian charities and supporting the Oz film industry with the damages I've received."
READ: Rebel Wilson in tears during defamation court case testimony
According to the star, the article's allegations made her lose out on acting roles and caused her considerable stress, so much so that she developed a stress sore and had some scenes in How to Be Single cut out as a result. While in court, she said: "You're not popular for long in Hollywood, you have a few years until you go out of fashion. They took those two years away from me doing what I love, which is entertaining people and making people laugh. Not everyone has the strength to stand up for themselves, but I do."
