The Australian actor Rebel Wilson has been accused of using US court proceedings to harass and intimidate the lead actor in her directorial debut, The Deb.
The New South Wales supreme court heard on Friday that earlier this month the star of The Deb, Charlotte MacInnes, was served a deposition in the UK, demanding she appear before a hearing in California later this month.
MacInnes’s Sydney barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, told the court the deposition, which could force MacInnes to answer questions over whether she was pressured or offered inducements to withdraw her alleged allegations of sexual harassment against one of The Deb’s producers, was a tactic by Wilson designed to “harass and intimidate” her lead actor over separate defamation action being taken by MacInnes against Wilson in the federal court.
The Deb producers and their company AI Film are suing Wilson and her company Camp Sugar in the supreme court for allegedly breaking several contracts. At Friday’s hearing they sought interlocutory relief, requesting an urgent temporary injunction to stop Wilson pursuing a countersuit in California, where she is being sued for defamation by the producers.
The hearing came as the producers announced overnight that they had finally secured a distributor for The Deb after months of delays due to the escalating legal battle now raging on two continents, with each side accusing the other of deliberately sabotaging the film’s release.
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Chrysanthou told the court that if a temporary injunction was not given, the plaintiffs and witnesses would be forced into a costly battle defending themselves in California, where legal costs cannot be recovered. Wilson’s bid to have her cross-complaint heard in a no-cost jurisdiction was “plainly scandalous and vexatious”, Chrysanthou said, and the issues ought to be determined by courts in NSW, where the movie was filmed.
Wilson served an amended cross-complaint on Wednesday on The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden and their company AI Film in London, raising claims of financial misconduct, coercion and harassment against the producers.
Chrysanthou said these issues were already being litigated in Australia and that Wilson previously agreed they should be resolved under NSW jurisdiction.
The Pitch Perfect actor is being sued in the supreme court by AI Film on the grounds her actions allegedly broke several contracts, including agreements relating to her role as a shareholder, director, producer and actor in The Deb. They also accuse her of misleading or deceptive conduct under Australian consumer law and of making harmful false statements on her Instagram account.
Wilson’s legal team has submitted a defence denying the allegations that she sabotaged the release of The Deb, and asserting that she had raised legitimate concerns about the producers’ alleged misconduct and financial mismanagement.
Wilson posted on Instagram earlier this year, saying: “I want nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen.”
Lawyers acting for Wilson did not appear at Friday’s interlocutory hearing.
The Guardian has sought comment from Wilson.
In the US defamation case, the producers allege Wilson’s decision to ignore MacInnes’s repeated denials of abuse showed Wilson acted with knowledge and malice, to promote a narrative that harmed both MacInnes and Ghost. Court documents also allege that Wilson orchestrated a smear campaign involving malicious websites targeting both women, portraying Ghost as an “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell” and MacInnes as complicit, with Wilson implying MacInnes denied being a victim in exchange for a lead role and a record deal.
MacInnes has strongly denied these claims and on 22 September filed a defamation lawsuit in the federal court, arguing Wilson’s statements were false, malicious and damaging to her reputation and career.
On Thursday AI Film announced that Rialto Distribution has acquired the rights for The Deb in Australia and New Zealand, with plans for a wide theatrical release in January.
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