Rebel Wilson Loses Bid To Toss Defamation Suit Filed by ‘The Deb’ Producers
The defamation lawsuit against Rebel Wilson over claims she made about producers of her directorial debut The Deb survived a key hurdle this week after a judge denied Wilson’s motion to toss the case.
The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden sued Wilson back in July, days after the actress posted a video on social media accusing them of embezzlement and sexual harassment. She further claimed that the producers were trying to sabotage the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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In their suit, Ghost, Cameron and Holden called Wilson “a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own.”
Wilson’s team had argued that the defamation case should be dismissed because Wilson’s claims were in the public interest. But in a ruling published Thursday, Judge Thomas Long rejected that argument, saying the video Wilson shared was not “protected activity.”
Bryan Freedman, Wilson’s attorney, said in a statement that they would appeal Long’s decision.
“The Court’s ruling defies well-established law,” Freedman said. “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.’ Similarly, a demand letter addressing the same and related topics that was allegedly distributed after litigation has started is also protected activity. A Notice of Appeal will be filed today. We are more than confident that the court of appeals will rule in our favor.”
In a statement, Ghost, Cameron and Holden’s attorney Camille Vasquez said they were “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,” Vasquez said. “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.”
Along with trying to get the defamation suit dismissed, Wilson filed a countersuit against Ghost, Cameron and Holden in October. That complaint repeated many of her initial claims, while also accusing the producers of breach of contract, false imprisonment, fraudulent inducement, and inflection of emotional distress.
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