Rebel Wilson accuser Charlotte MacInnes to appeal ruling in defamation case
A Federal Court judge found the 27-year-old changed her story about feeling uncomfortable about taking a bath with a producer of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb.
Rebel Wilson defeated the young lead of her directorial debut, Charlotte MacInnes, in a defamation lawsuit that put the Pitch Perfect star’s integrity on trial.
In a huge blow to the 27-year-old West Australian, Federal Court judge Elizabeth Raper said MacInnes changed her story about feeling uncomfortable during an evening bath with the producer of musical comedy The Deb, British movie and music executive Amanda Ghost.
MacInnes’s solicitor she intended to file an appeal to the full bench of the Federal Court. “We have no formal statement but can confirm that an appeal will be lodged on behalf of our client shortly,” she said in a written message.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The lawsuit focused on an evening swim taken by Ms Ghost and MacInnes at Bondi Beach in September, 2023, while they were temporarily staying together before filming The Deb, the first movie to be directed by Wilson.
Ms Ghost, 52, complained of suffering a medical episode in the cold surf. To warm up, they went back to the apartment and bathed together in their swimming costumes in the presence of an assistant.
The incident became the centre of a lawsuit about Hollywood dirty tactics, female-on-female sexual harassment and the power of directors and producers over actors, pitting the little-known but promising MacInnes against one of the world’s most famous comedic actresses.
“To say the circumstances of how they came to be in the bath was unusual would be an understatement,” Justice Raper said in a summary of her judgment she read in court.
No serious harm
The day after the swim MacInnes complained to Wilson about the joint bath, according to Wilson, who accused Ms Ghost of “completely inappropriate and unacceptable” behaviour in one of four Instagram posts relating to the incident.
In court, MacInnes denied complaining to Wilson, who accused MacInnes of changing her story to please Ms Ghost to secure a recording contract and another film role.
Of the 19 defamatory “imputations” or meanings claimed by MacInnes’s lawyers in the Instagram posts, Justice Raper only accepted one: that MacInnes changed her story. But she did not accept Wilson lied.
“Ms Wilson would have established that this imputation is substantially true,” she said in the judgement.
Justice Raper ruled that MacInnes hadn’t suffered serious harm from the Instagram posts or proven that Wilson committed a breach of confidence. She ordered the actress to cover Wilson’s legal costs, which will almost certainly amount to several hundred thousand dollars, if not more.
Despite adverse publicity generated by the case, The Deb was well received by critics, who praised the story about a country debutante ball for its humour, songs and digital culture jokes. “Rebel Wilson proves with the bright musical comedy The Deb that she’s a dab hand at directing,” reviewer Jim Schembri wrote.
The definitive victory for Wilson avoids a costly setback as she shifts from acting to directing amid flagging interest from fans around the world, who initially loved the actress with a brassy personality and Australian twang. Her last hit, Pitch Perfect 3, came out in 2019.
The next show
Within minutes of the judgement Wilson posted on Instagram a photograph of herself in a makeup chair wearing a top advertising her next film, Girl Group. The movie’s director and lead, Wilson plays a faded popstar forced to try and turn misfit teenagers into a slick girl band.
Girl Group will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, she said. No trailer has been made public.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me,” Wilson said in the post, which amassed 1800 likes within one hour. “I’m looking forward to getting back to what I love most, my family and my work. Thank you to the Judge and the Australian legal system who I have the utmost respect for.”
In a separate statement issued through her publicist, Wilson said she was thankful the “process has now reached its conclusion”.
MacInnes has not appeared in any movie since The Deb, according to the IMDb database, although three weeks ago released a debut EP, Highwater, on Spotify and other music sites.
