While Rebel Wilson awaits a hearing on her appeal of a judge’s ruling that producers of a film directed by the Australian film star can move forward with their defamation suit against her, the same judge has decided the plaintiffs can proceed with their defense against Wilson’s countersuit.
Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden sued Wilson in Los Angeles Superior Court last July 12 after Wilson told her 11 million Instagram followers that the producers of the film “The Deb” had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.
Judge Thomas D. Long heard arguments on Wilson’s dismissal motion on Nov. 21, briefly took the case under submission and issued his final ruling the same day, denying Wilson’s anti-SLAPP motion. The state’s anti-SLAPP –Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation — statute is aimed at stopping people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.
Wilson is not only appealing Long’s ruling, but also wanted Long to put a stay on the entire proceedings pending the outcome of the appeal, including her countersuit accusing the producers of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct” and that they inflated the film’s budget and split the extra money between them. But the judge denied Wilson’s motion on Thursday.
“Although the underlying events are relevant to both the (first-amended complaint) and (countersuit), proceeding on the (countersuit) will have no effect on the effectiveness of the appeal of the anti-SLAPP order,” Long wrote. “Because the (countersuit) is not affected by the anti-SLAPP appeal, the motion to stay all proceedings is denied.”
The producers’ legal team includes Camille M. Vasquez, who represented Johnny Depp in his dueling litigation with former spouse Amber Heard. Vasquez stated in her court papers that Wilson’s motion for a stay “reeks of desperation and bad faith” and that the countersuit has “paragraph after paragraph of highly incendiary and knowingly false allegations.”
Vasquez further stated in her court papers that Wilson was using the excuse of waiting for the appeal’s outcome to avoid litigating her own case.
In his November ruling denying Wilson’s dismissal motion, the judge found that the statements cited by the 44-year-old Wilson did not involve matters of public interest, but instead were made in the context of the celebrity’s private business dispute with the plaintiffs surrounding the production and premiere of the film.
Wilson’s film credits include the 2011 comedy films “Bridesmaids” and “A Few Best Men.”