Rebel Wilson is facing a legal threat of defamation from Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actress of her movie The Deb.
The Pitch Perfect actress has been embroiled in various legal disputes over her directorial debut for over a year, and another has now been added to the messy ongoing saga.
Lawyers representing MacInnes issued a concerns notice to Wilson on Thursday, indicating their intention to sue her for defamation in Western Australia over allegations she has made on Instagram since last year.
Among her social media claims, the Australian actress alleged that MacInnes had complained to her about being sexually harassed by a producer during filming. She then claimed that MacInnes "changed her story" after the producer cast her in a stage show and offered her a record deal.
According to Deadline, lawyer Patrick George wrote in the notice, "The publications carried seriously defamatory imputations damaging to Ms MacInnes' personal and professional reputation.
"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."
They added 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's conduct was "improper, unjustified and lacking in bona fides".
MacInnes is seeking damages and costs, as well as a permanent injunction to stop Wilson from publishing similar claims about her, reports The Guardian.
The Bridesmaids actress is involved in further legal disputes over her musical comedy. Producers Amanda Ghost, Gregory Cameron, and Vince Holden sued Wilson for defamation, and she responded by filing a countersuit.
Last month, one of the production companies behind The Deb accused Wilson of sabotaging its release. In response, the 45-year-old insisted on Instagram that she wants "nothing more than to have this film released, and have been working tirelessly" to make it happen.
The Deb premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year. It does not yet have a release date.
