Rebel Wilson facing lawsuit from lead actor in latest The Deb drama

According to Deadline, the “concerns notice” (which marks the first stage of defamation proceedings in Australia) states that Wilson’s public posts “carried seriously defamatory imputations damaging to Ms MacInnes’ personal and professional reputation.” MacInnes’ lawyers wrote, “This was her first lead role in a film and you cruelled her professional reputation before she could even enjoy the benefit of the success of the film as the lead actress.”

The complaint states that by “publicly disclosing our client’s name as an alleged victim of sexual harassment, without her consent, and then accusing her of lying about it as justification for identifying her,” Wilson engaged in conduct that was “improper, unjustified and lacking in bona fides,” per The Guardian. The lawyers argue that Wilson’s “reputation as a leading Australian star in the international film industry means that [her] statements carry particular weight within the film industry” in addition to her Instagram posts having a wide reach.

The Deb, a movie musical about Australian teens participating in a debutante ball, was supposed to be Wilson’s directorial debut before fighting behind the scenes stood in the way of a release. Currently, Ghost and producers Gregory Cameron and Vince Holden are also suing Wilson for defamation; Wilson has countersued Ghost, Cameron, and Holden for breach of contract; and UK-based production company AI Film has sued Wilson, accusing her of deliberately sabotaging The Deb‘s release. Wilson countered that she has been “working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen,” but it certainly doesn’t look like it will any time soon. The film’s star MacInnes is now seeking damages and costs in her lawsuit, as well as a permanent injunction on Wilson publishing any more claims about her.