SYDNEY — Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has successfully defended claims she defamed a young actress who played the lead role in her directorial debut.A Sydney court on Wednesday dismissed the case brought by Charlotte MacInnes, who had accused the “Pitch Perfect” star of spreading lies about her to millions of followers on Instagram.MacInnes, who starred in Wilson’s film The Deb, said the posts had made her the “subject of abuse, hatred and ridicule online” and affected her career prospects. MacInnes sued Wilson for allegedly harming her reputation in Instagram posts in 2024 and 2025.In the posts, Wilson accused MacInnes of retracting her complaint of sexual harassment against a film producer so she could further her career as an actor and singer. MacInnes denied ever having made a complaint.In court on Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case, saying the imputation that MacInnes had changed her story about the incident was not defamatory. The judge ordered MacInnes to pay Wilson’s costs.The claim and counterclaim are among serious allegations – including of smear campaigns and embezzlement – aired in multiple court cases now swirling around the production of the Australian musical comedy.Set in an outback Australian town, “The Deb” tells the story of two very different cousins – one from the city and one from the country – who unite ahead of a debutante ball. It was supposed to be a heartwarming tale of triumph, but its making has spawned a saga of its own.Wilson told “60 Minutes Australia” last year that the legal storm that engulfed the making of her first feature film was “like your worst nightmare,” and the issues had “come out of left field.”In an Instagram post after Wednesday’s ruling, Wilson thanked the judge and the Australian legal system for the “substantial win,” and said she was looking forward to moving on.One of the key claims related to an incident in September 2023, when MacInnes and producer Amanda Ghost shared a bath at a Sydney penthouse rented by the production company.In her ruling, Justice Raper said: “To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement.”MacInnes and Ghost said they were both in their swimsuits and entered the bath to warm up after Ghost had a physical reaction to swimming in the cold sea at the city’s Bondi Beach.Ghost said in her submission to the court that she was shivering uncontrollably and breaking out in welts that she hoped would disappear after warming up.MacInnes was also cold and the bath was big enough for both women, she said. Backing Ghost’s version of events, MacInnes said in her affidavit: “There was nothing sexual in any way.”However, Wilson claimed that MacInnes had told her that Ghost had asked her to take a bath and shower with her and that the experience made her “uncomfortable.”Wilson said she understood MacInnes to be reporting sexual harassment on set, and that as the director she was obliged to act on it.Justice Raper found that only one of the claims was “made out” – that MacInnes had changed her story about being uncomfortable, and that was not defamatory. The case was dismissed with MacInnes ordered to pay costs.Raper also found that MacInnes had failed to establish the posts had caused or were likely to serious harm.Wilson posted on Instagram moments after the decision, saying the “process has taught me a lot”.”It has tested me, but it has also reinforced something I’ve always believed. I want to live my life standing up for what I believe is right, while continuing to create work that brings people joy.”Wilson thanked her supporters and said she was “grateful this chapter has reached its conclusion”. Earlier, lawyers for MacInnes said Wilson’s allegations were “malicious concoctions” and the court heard claims the Hollywood star had ordered a smear website to target Ghost, which Wilson denied.Wilson’s lawyer argued that MacInnes, who graduated from acting school in Western Australia in 2021, had not been harmed by the posts, pointing to a recent record deal that she had signed.
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