Rebel Wilson, Charlotte MacInnes court case: Film feud testimony kicks off third day in defamation trial
Rebel Wilson has entered the witness box for a third day as she fights allegations she defamed the star of her directorial debut in social media posts.
Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has spoken about the upcoming birth of her second child as she entered the courthouse to give evidence for a third day in her blockbuster defamation battle.
The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb.
MacInnes claims she was defamed by Wilson in social media posts that suggested she is a liar who retracted a sexual harassment complaint to further her acting and music career.
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MacInnes denies making or walking back a complaint, insisting she never said she felt uncomfortable.
The young actor’s self-professed confidante will continue to be grilled about her version of events when she returns to the witness box in the Federal Court on Thursday.
Asked about the impending birth of her second child as she entered the courthouse, Wilson said her wife luckily hasn’t given birth yet in the US.
She may be quizzed on documents MacInnes’ lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC previously requested, including communications that may relate to smear websites attacking Ms Ghost.
Wilson has denied having any involvement in ordering or authoring the websites which described the producer as the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and a sex trafficker.
She said her former US lawyer hired The Agency Group to assist her in a legal dispute with her co-producers but insisted the firm had not been commissioned to work for her.
The firm is also accused of creating smear websites attacking Hollywood actor Blake Lively on behalf of her co-star Justin Baldoni.
Wilson was asked earlier in the week to produce communications between her and the employees of The Agency Group, including a text chain with chief executive Melissa Nathan.
Ms Chrysanthou also called for any receipts for payments to the PR firm in an attempt to discern who paid for the services rendered by Ms Nathan.
An agreement tendered to the court shows Wilson’s US lawyer - with whom she has now parted ways - retained The Agency Group for strategic communication services in connection with the star.
“As consideration for the Services, Rebel Wilson hereby agrees to pay Agency a sum of $25,000 USD per month,” the unsigned letter of agreement records.
When asked about the agreement dated July 2024, Wilson said it had been sent to her lawyer despite being addressed to her.
She rejected suggestions from Ms Chrysanthou that she was being utterly dishonest and had lied for a year about the topic.
Wilson also denied accusations that she raised MacInnes’ alleged complaint after it had been resolved in order to get her way during a dispute with her co-producers.
Wilson’s barrister Dauid Sibtain SC contends that MacInnes made the complaint and then changed her story to ensure her career thrived with Ms Ghost’s assistance.
He has argued MacInnes’ career has progressed and she hasn’t suffered any harm to her reputation at all as a result of the social media posts, contrary to her allegations.
