(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Bauer Media has said it will appeal against a September court order to pay A$4.5mn (US $3.6mn) in defamation damages to Australian actress Rebel Wilson.
It is understood that the publisher is not contending the verdict, but the level of damages in the defamation judgement.
'It's important for us to revisit this unprecedented decision on the quantum of damages, which also has broad implications for the media industry, Bauer Media general counsel Adrian Goss said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.
Wilson, who is known for her roles in the Hollywood films Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids, won the high-profile court battle in June against the publisher after it printed eight articles in 2015, accusing her of fabricating untruths about her real name, age and childhood.
The 37-year-old actress was awarded the largest defamation damages payout ever ordered by an Australian court last month.
She alleged the articles defamed her and damaged her career, and caused her to be sacked from two major films, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3, because she was 'too divisive. The judge awarded her A$650,000 dollars in general damages, saying the usual cap of A$389,500 did not apply due to Bauer Media's conduct.
He also ordered it to pay A$3.9mn in special damages. Wilson had offered to settle the case with the publisher for A$200,000 before the trial, the court was told during the hearing. But, after winning the case, she sought A$7mn in damages.
During the trial, she said she was born as Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, but later changed her name legally to Rebel and took her mother's surname, Wilson.
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