A judge failed to properly consider various times Rebel Wilson had lied or given false evidence when dismissing a defamation claim against her, a young actor says.
Charlotte MacInnes sued the Pitch Perfect star over four social media posts which MacInnes claimed painted her as a liar and a sellout who walked back a sexual harassment complaint to further her career.
The defamation lawsuit was dismissed on July 22 by Justice Elizabeth Raper, who found MacInnes had not been defamed, let alone proven she suffered serious harm.
But the young actor says those conclusions were wrong.
In an appeal notice filed with the court, MacInnes says Justice Raper erred in finding Wilson succesfully argued the defence of substantial truth because of the series of lies she told while giving evidence.
Wilson gave "dishonest denials" about the creation of a smear website used to target producer Amanda Ghost, including posts referring to Ms Ghost as "Indian Ghislaine Maxwell", according to MacInnes.
Wilson has repeatedly denied any involvement in the malicious websites, which also described Ms Ghost as a sex trafficker.
MacInnes argued at trial Wilson's claims damaged her standing in the international film industry because the Bridesmaids star's opinions carried significant weight.
But Justice Raper found many observers take Wilson's pronouncements with a grain of salt.
MacInnes said the judge was wrong to find "in the industry and generally the public at large, there is great circumspection for any claims Ms Wilson makes".
The MacInnes appeal also attacked weighting of claims that Wilson had destroyed key evidence.
Wilson testified her phone was stolen in London and some of her text chains hadn't been backed up.
The judge also made several findings which were inconsistent with evidence given by MacInnes during the trial, her lawyers argued.
MacInnes' lawyers further argue Justice Raper denied their client natural justice by finding her and Ms Ghost colluded on their testimony of the incident despite having no evidence to base it on.
The judge determined MacInnes had changed her story after bathing with Ms Ghost in the Bondi apartment where they were both staying during filming.
"To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement," Justice Raper said.
Wilson repeatedly denied accusations she fabricated the complaint or raised it for leverage during disputes with her co-producers over the film's budget and writing credit.
From her home in the US, she welcomed Justice Raper's judgment.
"This has been a long process and throughout I have tried to stay grounded in my values and what I believed was right," she said in a statement.
