Rebel Wilson Faces Setback in Legal Battle with ‘The Deb’ Producers as Judge Dismisses Key Claims
Rebel Wilson has encountered a significant setback in her ongoing legal dispute with the British producers of The Deb, her directorial debut.
During a hearing this week, LA Superior Court Judge Thomas Long dismissed the majority of Wilson’s claims against Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden.
Wilson’s allegations included claims that Ghost sexually harassed actress Charlotte MacInnes and subsequently conspired with MacInnes to cover up the incident. Additionally, Wilson accused Ghost, Cameron, and Holden of intimidation and embezzlement related to the film’s funds.
Judge Long’s ruling effectively eliminates some of the more serious allegations in Wilson’s lawsuit, including the assertion that Ghost groomed young women and wrongfully took credit for James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful.” The judge characterized Wilson’s claims as “immaterial and abusive.”
Furthermore, Wilson will not have the opportunity to revise her lawsuit, leaving her with the option to proceed only on fair-dealing claims against AI Film, led by Ghost. Wilson will, however, be allowed to pursue claims of emotional distress against the producers.
In a related development, Judge Long has permitted Ghost to engage in limited discovery for her own defamation lawsuit, which involves allegations surrounding “smear websites” that claimed she was the “Indian Ghislaine Maxwell.”
The complaint filed by Ghost and her colleagues has been revised to accuse Wilson of coordinating the websites, which they described as containing “malevolent” and “racist” falsehoods. Wilson has “unequivocally” denied any involvement in the content published on these sites.
The court has specifically authorized a deposition and document subpoena for Katie Case, a former employee of publicist Melissa Nathan’s TAG. Messages related to the It Ends with Us dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni indicated that Nathan instructed Case that “Rebel wants” a “really harsh” website targeting “Amanda.”
Camille Vasquez, the attorney representing The Deb producers, stated, “With Ms. Wilson’s claims dismissed, the case now focuses on her conduct, including serious questions about the source of smear websites deploying racist, false and abusive content to target Amanda Ghost—those issues will be pursued zealously in discovery.”
Wilson and her legal team have been contacted for further comment.
