Rebel Wilson Loses Bid To Have ‘The Deb’ Producers’ Defamation Suit Nipped In The Free Speech Bud
Rebel Wilson’s hopes to squelch The Deb producers’ defamation lawsuit against her have been stymied by a Los Angeles judge.
“Because the Court finds that the statements are not protected activities subject to an anti-SLAPP motion, the Court does not proceed to the second prong of the analysis for the Plaintiffs’ likelihood of prevailing on the merits,” ruled LA Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long last night, confirming his tentative of earlier on November 21. “Accordingly, the anti-SLAPP motion is hereby Denied.”
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“The fact that defendant’s statements accuse plaintiff of criminal conduct make them defamatory on their face,” he stated.
The ruling comes after a long-ish hearing in downtown LA on Thursday where dueling lawyers for Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden went head-to-head with attorney for the Pitch Perfect star over Wilson’s claims of “vile and disgusting behavior” earlier this year against the producers.
In an Instagram video, Wilson slammed the trio for allegedly embezzling cash from the musical comedy, threatening to close the movie down, as well as engaging in sexual harassment of one of its lead actors. No stranger to a public dust-up or two (just ask Sacha Baron Cohen or Australian authorities over Deb writing credits), Wilson made the allegations against Ghost, Cameron and Holden back in July when it looked like The Deb was going to lose a premiere perch at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Depicting Wilson as “spreading vicious lies without regard for the irreparable damage her reckless words would cause on the hard-earned personal and professional reputations of Plaintiffs,” the trio of producers sued The Deb director and actor on July 12. They also put out a statement from Deb actress Charlotte MacInnes claiming that no sexual harassment occurred between her and Ghost, contrary to Wilson’s claims.
Taking to social media again, Wilson declared online on July 31 that she was telling “the truth about these absolute f*ckwits.” She followed that up more formally with a counter-complaint of her own on September 26, just after The Deb screened after all at TIFF.
Which brings us to this week, and Wilson’s failure to convince the judge that her remarks about the producers was in “the public’s interest” and hence protected by “the constitutional right of free speech in connection with a public issue.”
Outside the court, the implication of this ruling keeps The Deb from being seen by almost anyone since its debut on the closing night of this year’s TIFF. Even with Wilson’s agency WME trying to sell the picture and financier Len Blavatnik having put millions into the movie. no one will likely touch The Deb until the legal battle is over.
Which, with Wilson set to appeal, could be a while.
“We are very gratified by the Court’s ruling. Defendant Rebel Wilson’s anti-SLAPP motion was a cynical attempt to stifle a valid legal claim after she launched a public attack against three hardworking professionals,” said the producer’s main attorney Camille Vasquez. “We are grateful to the court for reaching the correct legal result and allowing that claim to proceed. We look forward to seeing Ms. Wilson in court.”
On more court face-offs to come, both sides agree.
“The Court’s ruling defies well-established law. Posting a video addressing the highly anticipated premiere of The Deb at the Toronto International Film Festival and widespread misconduct in the entertainment industry, which are unmistakably ‘matters of public interest,’ constitutes a protected activity,” Wilson’s primary lawyer Bryan Freedman told Deadline today. “Similarly, a demand letter addressing the same and related topics that was allegedly distributed after litigation has started is also protected activity,” the attorney, who participated in Thursday’s DTLA hearing added.
“A Notice of Appeal will be filed today. We are more than confident that the court of appeals will rule in our favor.”
Which means there’ll be more of this Deb dispute debuting in the courts for months to come.
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