Rebel Wilson has Australian defamation payout slashed

The Associated Press</span>
Published Wednesday, June 13, 2018 9:39PM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, June 14, 2018 6:38AM EDT

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rebel Wilson has had her record 4.6 million Australian dollar (US$3.5 million) damages award in a defamation case slashed to AU$600,000 (US$454,000) after a magazine publisher appealed the amount of the payout.

The 38-year-old Australian comic actress, best known for the "Pitch Perfect" movies and "Bridesmaids," was not in the Court of Appeal in Melbourne on Thursday to hear the three judges' decision.

Wilson won a Victoria state Supreme Court jury trial ruling that German publisher Bauer Media defamed her in a series of articles in 2015 claiming she lied about her age, the origin of her first name and her upbringing in Sydney.

What happens tomorrow is to do with the losers @bauermedia quibbling about how much they now have to pay me. While this case was never about the money for me, I do hope to receive as much as possible to give away to charities and to support the Australian film industry.
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) June 13, 2018