Rebel Wilson wins defamation case against 'bully' magazine publisher

APD NEWS

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Australian actress Rebel Wilson has won a defamation suit against a global magazine publisher over a series of articles she claimed damaged her career by depicting her as a serial liar.

Wilson said stories published by Bauer Media in 2015 claiming she lied about her real name, age and childhood cost her significant acting roles and income.

The Pitch Perfect star described eight articles featured in Woman's Day and other Bauer-owned magazines in Australia as a "malicious, deliberate take-down".

Wilson returned from Los Angeles to Melbourne to give at-times tearful evidence in the three-week trial.

A jury of six women at Victoria's Supreme Court found on Thursday that all eight articles had defamed Wilson.

In a news conference outside the court, the comedian said it had been "a long and hard fight" but she "felt she had to take a stand".

"I had to stand up to a bully, a huge media organisation, Bauer Media Group, who maliciously took me down in 2015 with a series of grubby and completely false articles," she said.

"Far too often I feel the tabloid magazines and the journalists who work for them don't abide by professional ethics. Far too often I feel their conduct can only be described as disgusting and disgraceful."

The court will now assess the amount of damages to award the actress.

But Wilson said outside the court that it was not about the money.

"The reason I'm here is not for damages. It's to clear my name," she said.

"To me, it's not about the number. To me, I was hoping the jury would do the right thing and send a message to these tabloids and they've done that."

The court heard the first article appeared in Woman's Day quoting an unnamed source who said Wilson - whose breakout role was in 2011 film Bridesmaid - had added a touch of "fantasy" to stories about her life in order to "make it in Hollywood".

The identity of the source, who was paid around £1,200, was not revealed to the court, but Wilson told the jury she believed it was a former classmate who was jealous of her success.

Other claims in the articles included that Rebel was not her real name, that she said she was six years younger than she actually was and that she lied about being related to Walt Disney.

She alleged the stories resulted in her being sacked from DreamWorks animated films Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3 for being "too divisive" and she then had to "beg" to work for free.

Bauer Media denied the articles had damaged Wilson's reputation and argued they were based in fact.

After the verdict, a Bauer Media spokeswoman said the publisher would "consider its options".

(SKY NEWS)