Rebel Wilson Loses Bid To Toss Defamation Suit Filed by ‘The Deb’ Producers

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The film's producers claimed that Wilson falsely accused them of embezzlement and sexual harassment

The defamation lawsuit against Rebel Wilson over claims she made about producers of her directorial debut The Deb survived a key hurdle this week after a judge denied Wilson’s motion to toss the case.

The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden sued Wilson back in July, days after the actress posted a video on social media accusing them of embezzlement and sexual harassment. She further claimed that the producers were trying to sabotage the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In their suit, Ghost, Cameron and Holden called Wilson “a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own.”

Wilson’s team had argued that the defamation case should be dismissed because Wilson’s claims were in the public interest. But in a ruling published Thursday, Judge Thomas Long rejected that argument, saying the video Wilson shared was not “protected activity.”

Bryan Freedman, Wilson’s attorney, said in a statement that they would appeal Long’s decision.

“The Court’s ruling defies well-established law,” Freedman said. “Posting a video addressing the highly anticipated premiere of The Deb at the Toronto International Film Festival and widespread misconduct in the entertainment industry, which are unmistakably ‘matters of public interest,’ constitutes a protected activity.’ Similarly, a demand letter addressing the same and related topics that was allegedly distributed after litigation has started is also protected activity. A Notice of Appeal will be filed today. We are more than confident that the court of appeals will rule in our favor.”