Rebel Wilson back in court to find out who'll pay her $1.5m legal bill
Rebel Wilson has fronted court to find out how much Bauer Media will contribute to her seven-figure legal bill.
The Pitch Perfect actress sat in the front row of the Court of Appeal’s Green Court on Wednesday morning, flanked by her family and lawyers.
Ms Wilson 38, was awarded a record $4.56 million last year after Bauer – publisher of Woman’s Day and The Australian Women’s Weekly – was found to have defamed her in a series of articles that painted her as a serial liar.
The payout was the largest for a defamation damages bill in Australian legal history.
On Wednesday, the court heard Bauer Media does not wish to challenge the jury’s verdict from last year, which found the company had defamed the Hollywood star.
However, the magazine giant wishes to have the economic damages of $3.9 million set aside on the basis of ‘‘errors of fact and law’’.
‘‘The evidence did not support the trail judge’s award,’’ Bauer Media’s barrister told the court.
‘‘Damages were manifestly excessive.’’
Bauer argued the Court of Appeal should also reassess the $650,000 in non-economic losses Ms Wilson was awarded last year.
Ms Wilson spent close to $1.5 million on the 22-day trial and wants the majority of her costs repaid.
The amount includes costs of $9000 per day for barrister Matthew Collins, QC, $552,000 on solicitors and and fees for a security guard to accompany her to and from court.
It is expected she will have at least 80 per cent of those costs, or $1.123 million, repaid.
Ms Wilson’s barrister Renee Enbom argued she should get at least $1.3 million back, asking Victorian Supreme Court Justice John Dixon to assess and award a ‘‘gross sum costs order’’ rather than go through protracted arguments before a dedicated costs court.
Ms Enbom previously said Ms Wilson and Bauer Media were arguing over a difference of between $100,000 and $200,000.
She said Ms Wilson may have to wait until the end of 2018 before recovering her fees if the matter went to a special court, possibly costing another $100,000 to finalise.
The Hollywood star landed in Australia on Monday. She is due to co-host The Project on Network Ten on Thursday evening.
More to come