A high-stakes defamation dispute centered on Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has come to a decisive close, with an Australian federal judge throwing out the lawsuit brought against Wilson by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in Wilson’s first directorial project, the musical comedy *The Deb*.
The legal conflict traces its origins back to September 2023, when an off-set incident unfolded between MacInnes and one of the film’s producers during production in Sydney. According to Wilson’s prior accounts, MacInnes told her the morning after a group outing to Bondi Beach that the producer had pressured her into joining a bath at their shared production accommodation, an interaction that left MacInnes feeling uncomfortable. Wilson later claimed on social media that MacInnes ultimately withdrew the sexual harassment complaint she had filed over the encounter in order to progress her acting career on the project.
MacInnes, however, has repeatedly denied ever making any sexual harassment complaint at all, arguing that Wilson’s four social media posts published between September 2024 and July 2025 were false and damaging to her professional reputation. She also claimed Wilson had breached a confidentiality agreement around the private on-set incident, bringing both defamation and breach of confidence claims before the Federal Court of Australia.
On Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Raper delivered a final ruling that fully exonerated Wilson. In her written judgment, Raper found that none of Wilson’s social media posts met the legal definition of defamation. She further ruled that MacInnes had failed to meet the legal burden of proving that the posts caused serious harm to her reputation, nor could she establish that Wilson had violated any confidentiality agreement. Raper dismissed the entire case and ordered MacInnes to cover all of Wilson’s legal costs stemming from the lawsuit.
Shortly after the ruling was issued, Wilson—who gained global fame for her leading roles in hit comedies *Pitch Perfect* and *Bridesmaids*—shared a public statement on her Instagram page reacting to the decision. She thanked Justice Raper and Australia’s independent legal system, describing the outcome as a “substantial win” and noting that she was eager to put the dispute behind her and move forward with her career.
As of Thursday, legal representatives for MacInnes had not issued any public statement or responded to media requests for comment on the ruling. The legal drama comes just weeks ahead of the upcoming release of *The Deb*, a musical comedy following two teenage girls navigating the lead-up to a debutante ball in a small rural Australian town. The film is scheduled to make its debut on digital streaming platforms across the United States on August 25.