Australian actor Rebel Wilson paid a US crisis PR firm to create anonymous smear websites to publish false and malicious claims about a producer on her film The Deb, a Supreme Court judge has found.
Ms Wilson comprehensively won her legal fight with AI Film Productions and was awarded more than $350,000 in unpaid producer’s fees.
However, in her reasons for the decision, Justice Elisabeth Peden found that, despite her denials, Ms Wilson was behind the untraceable websites about Amanda Ghost created by The Agency Group.
The websites published false claims about Ms Ghost including that she was the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell ... a madam who procured young women for wealthy men”.
“I am satisfied that the statements published in the websites were actuated with malice on Ms Wilson’s part,” Justice Peden said in her judgment published on Friday.
“I consider that Ms Wilson wanted to draw negative attention to Ms Ghost and wanted to do so seemingly anonymously. Ms Wilson wanted her team to acquire negative information about Ms Ghost and then publish the anonymous websites containing false representations about Ms Ghost. She repeatedly denied her involvement with those websites, contrary to the true position.”
Those findings though did not help AI Film Productions case that Ms Wilson had sabotaged her directorial debut, the box office flop The Deb, causing the company financial loss and reputational damage because the statements were about Ms Ghost and there was no proof the company had suffered actual damage as a result.
Justice Peden ordered that AI Film pay Ms Wilson and her company Camp Sugar Productions, which is part-owned by Wilson’s mother Sue Bownds, $359,000 in unpaid fees.
She also awarded just $10 in nominal damages to a production company set up to run the production of The Deb for Ms Wilson’s breach of contract relating to her social media posts.
It is the second victory for the Pitch Perfect star in the legal war that escalated in the wake of Wilson’s explosive Instagram post to her 11 million followers in which she accused AI Film of trying to block The Deb’s release and Ms Ghost of sexual harassment of the lead female actor on the movie.
Minutes after the judgment, Wilson posted a photo of herself graduating with her law degree with the caption: “Two lawsuits. Two wins.”
“I spoke up because I believed there were serious concerns that needed to be raised on my film The Deb,” she wrote.
“Defending myself has come at an enormous personal, emotional and financial cost. But I’m proud that I stood my ground - for myself and for others I was trying to protect.
“AI Film is wholly owned and financed by billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries.
This has been a true David and Goliath battle as there has been a huge imbalance of resources between the parties.
“There have been times when I’ve wondered how much more I could take but I’m proud that I kept going. I want anyone who is frightened of speaking up to know that I understand who hard it can be, especially when the people you are challenging have greater resources.
“I am forever grateful for everyone who has supported me through these rough times, and to our two beautiful daughters who bring me more joy than I could ever adequately describe.”
AI Film Production sued Wilson in a bid to recoup the money it lost on the $20m movie that only took about $335,000 at the box office when it was finally released in Australia in April 2026. It argued Wilson breached contracts and undermined the film’s release by publishing false and derogatory statements that caused the company financial and reputational damage.
During the hearing, the actor was accused of undermining negotiations with potential distributors and threatening legal action against anyone showing the film in Australia, deliberately devaluing the film so that she could purchase it for practically nothing
Wilson and Camp Sugar launched a cross claim for money they say they were owed in production and other fees. They alleged Ms Ghost, Mr Cameron and Mr Holden’s involvement in the film was marked by “a troubling pattern of illicit egregious behaviour including theft, bullying and sexual misconduct”.
The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, a few months after Wilson dropped a dramatic post to her 11 million Instagram followers.
In the July 10, 2024 post, Wilson alleged that the producers had acted inappropriately towards the lead actor Charlotte MacInnes and embezzled money from the project.
The producers launched defamation proceedings in the US, with Wilson filing a countersuit after the film premiered at the TIFF. Those proceedings are ongoing.
In July this year, Wilson was cleared of defaming Ms MacInnes in four social media posts from September 2024 to July 2025 by falsely suggesting The Deb star had walked back allegations she’d been sexually harassed by Ms Ghost in what became known as the “bathtub incident”.
The judge in that case found that Ms MacInnes had failed to establish the posts had caused serious harm. Ms MacInnes has indicated she will appeal that decision.
Much has been made in this case too about the “bathtub incident”, with considerable evidence about just what took place in the bathroom of a Bondi Beach penthouse rented by Ms Ghost and what was said about it afterwards.
Ms Ghost and Ms MacInnes both gave evidence that Ms Ghost suffered a medical reaction to swimming on a cold September 5, 2023 day at Bondi, and when they returned to the apartment she was renting, she needed to warm up.
Ms MacInnes was in the bath and Ms Ghost got in too. They both testified there was nothing inappropriate about that, as they were both wearing their swimmers and it was in response to the severe reaction Ms Ghost was experiencing.
Wilson, who did not give evidence during this hearing, claimed Ms MacInnes made a complaint to her about the incident but that she later retracted the complaint in order to mend her relationship with Ms Ghost and land future roles.
Justice Peden found on the balance of probabilities that Ms MacInnes did tell Ms Wilson she felt “uncomfortable” after Ms Ghost got in the bath and that she later denied saying it.
She said Ms MacInnes was “not an impressive witness”.
“The “bath incident” was objectively strange, and one that could cause someone in the position of Ms MacInnes to feel uncomfortable,” Justice Peden said.
“On balance, I find that Ms MacInnes did express to Ms Wilson that she felt uncomfortable with Ms Ghost being in the bath with her.”
Those findings went against AI Film’s claims that Ms Wilson’s Instagram posts were false and misleading.
An order for costs, which are expected to be awarded to Ms Wilson, is yet to be made.