Rebel Wilson has Australian defamation payout slashed

The 'Pitch Perfect' star's payout was reduced by Dh11.1m

Australian actor Rebel Wilson reacts as she leaves the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne, Australia June 15, 2017. Picture taken June 15, 2017.   AAP/David Crosling via REUTERS    ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. AUSTRALIA OUT. NEW ZEALAND OUT.
Powered by automated translation

An appeals court on Thursday slashed Rebel Wilson's record A$4.6 million (Dh12.8m) damages award to A$600,000 after a magazine publisher appealed the amount of its payout in a defamation case.

The 38-year-old Australian comic actress, best known for the Pitch Perfect movies and Bridesmaids, was not in the Court of Appeal in Melbourne to hear the three judges' decision.

Wilson won a Victoria state Supreme Court jury trial ruling that German publisher Bauer Media defamed her in a series of articles in 2015 claiming she lied about her age, the origin of her first name and her upbringing in Sydney.

Bauer did not appeal the verdict that the articles were defamatory, but argued that the Australian-record damages awarded in September were excessive.

__________________

Read more:

The 'Black Panther' actor who is an undocumented 'Dreamer'

Feline friends: Ed Sheeran waxwork unveiled at cat cafe in London

__________________

Bauer successfully challenged the finding that Wilson should be compensated for film roles, including Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3, which she testified she had lost following the articles' publication.

The appeal court removed the A$3.9m that the trial judge had awarded for roles lost because of damage done to her reputation.

It also reduced Wilson's non-economic losses by A$50,000 to A$600,000.

Wilson said on Twitter the night before the judgement that she had won the case regardless of the damages awarded.

"I'm away on location in Europe filming right now," she tweeted.

"As I've said before, I have already won the case and this is unchallenged! This case was never about the money for me."