Rebel Wilson is "extremely grateful" that she has been awarded a record $3.66 million (£2.75 million) in damages after winning her defamation case.
Justice John Dixon in Melbourne, Australia decided on Wednesday (13Sep17) how much Rebel should receive from magazine publishers Bauer Media Group after she won her trial against them for allegedly ruining her reputation and painting her as a liar in articles in 2015.
He declared the large amount was required to "vindicate" the Pitch Perfect star, as her reputation as an "actress of integrity (has been) wrongly damaged" and Rebel, who is currently in London, took to Twitter hours after the verdict to celebrate.
"Justice Dixon has awarded me a record sum and I’m extremely grateful for that. It is 4 times the Australian record," she tweeted. "To me though, this case wasn’t about the money. I’m looking forward to helping out some great Australian charities and supporting the Oz film industry with the damages I’ve received."
During the trial, the 37-year-old claimed she lost film roles after articles appeared in publications Woman's Day, Women's Weekly, OK Magazine and New Weekly suggesting she had publicly lied about her age, real name and upbringing.
In her series of tweets, Rebel took aim at Bauer Media, who she accused of "viciously" trying to take her down and "recklessly" trading on her reputation "in order to boost its own profits."
"When the jury delivered its verdict they answered every single point in my favour," she wrote. "Today Justice Dixon accepted that Bauer Media subjected me to a sustained and malicious attack timed to coincide with the launch of Pitch (Perfect) 2.
"The judge accepted without qualification that I had an extremely high reputation and that the damage inflicted on me was substantial. He said the nature of the aggravated defamation and the unprecedented extent of dissemination makes vindication of particular importance."
She concluded her tweets by thanking fans for their love and support and adding that she's looking forward to focusing on her career again.
