Bauer Media will appeal the record $4.56 million defamation payout awarded to Rebel Wilson over a series of articles calling her a liar.
The publisher confirmed it would contest the ‘quantum’ of the damages handed to the Hollywood star last month by the Victorian Supreme Court.
‘It’s important for us to revisit this unprecedented decision on the quantum of damages, which also has broad implications for the media industry,’ its general counsel Adrian Goss said.
Bauer Media will appeal the record $4.56 million defamation payout awarded to Rebel Wilson over a series of articles calling her a liar
It did not appear that Bauer would contest the verdict of the sensational trial over eight articles published in May 2015 by several of its titles.
The 37-year-old proved to an all-female jury in June that the Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, OK! and NW magazine publisher defamed her.
Judge John Dixon said in his judgement Wilson was branded a ‘serial liar who had fabricated almost every aspect of her backstory’.
The articles claimed she lied about her real name, age, and various details of her childhood so she could make it in Hollywood.
Wilson won $650,000 in general damages and $3,917,472 in special damages for opportunities in movie roles she lost because of the articles.
The articles claimed she lied about her real name, age, and various details of her childhood so she could make it in Hollywood
Justice John Dixon said a substantial amount was required to ‘vindicate’ Wilson after her reputation as an ‘actress of integrity was wrongly damaged’.
The publisher acted in an ‘orchestrated’ fashion to sell more magazines and increase circulation, the judge said, adding that it knew the claims were untrue.
The actress had sought $5.893 million in special damages and $1.2 million in general damages, bringing the total claim to $7.093 million.
Bauer Media branded the special damages claim ‘extraordinarily large’ and made on the ‘most tenuous of bases’.
Defence barrister Georgina Schoff QC said Wilson was not entitled to special damages because she had failed to prove the articles caused her financial losses.
Mr Goss said at the time that the publisher would consider the outcome, and has ultimately decided to appeal two weeks before the deadline.
‘Bauer Media has a long history of delivering great stories to our readers and we have a reputation for developing some of the best editorial teams in this country. This is what we are focused on,’ he said last month.
The 37-year-old proved to an all-female jury in June that the Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly, OK! and NW magazine publisher defamed her
Wilson won $650,000 in general damages and $3,917,472 in special damages for opportunities in movie roles she lost because of the articles
‘It is about continuing to do what we do best and that is delivering great content to more than 85 per cent of Australian women across the country via our iconic portfolio.’
Wilson has pledged, via Twitter, that any money she wins will be donated to a charity, scholarship or invested into the Australian film industry.
‘Re my defamation case win, any $’s I receive will go to charity, scholarships or invested into the Aussie film industry to provide jobs,’ she wrote.
The tweet was quickly followed with another which read: ‘I take being a role model very seriously’.