Rebel Wilson’s attorney is asking a judge to order former Johnny Depp lawyer Camille Vasquez to limit statements to the media about a lawsuit brought by a trio of producers of Wilson’s film “The Deb” suing the Australian actress for defamation, but Vasquez says in court papers filed Wednesday that she was answering Wilson’s attacks on her three clients.
Wilson’s attorney recently filed papers with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long stating that the remarks made by Vasquez and others are inaccurate and harmful. Vasquez is a high-profile litigation attorney best known for representing Depp in his 2022 defamation trial against Amber Heard.
The plaintiffs in Vasquez’s current case are Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden.
In a sworn declaration, Vasquez says she only made three statements and that none of them were inappropriate.
“In my statements, I have sought to accurately explain the contentions in this case,” Vasquez said, adding that she is aware of the attorneys’ rule of professional conduct and that she believes that her remarks were appropriate under the circumstances, especially given the “significant publicity about my clients and this case that has been repeatedly generated by Wilson.
Vasquez’s colleague, Samuel Moniz, contends in separate court papers that Wilson’s attorney is seeking a court order so broad that it amounts to prior restraint and is therefore unconstitutional.
“And, Wilson’s own extensive publicity-seeking conduct must be taken into account — she and her attorneys have consistently litigated this matter in the press, yet now seek to silence plaintiffs, preventing them from speaking about any aspect of this case,” Moniz further states in his court papers.
But according to Wilson’s lawyer’s pleadings, Vasquez has “repeatedly and in an ongoing pattern made media statements that comment on court rulings, the meaning of deposition testimony, the status of the case, credibility of witnesses and parties and generally disparaging Ms. Wilson at every turn.”
Wilson’s lawyer also alleges that Vasquez is indeed violating the attorneys’ rule of professional conduct and that what she is allegedly saying is potentially prejudicial to Wilson.
Vasquez is “attempting to poison the well of public opinion regarding a well-known actress whose directorial debut film “The Deb” is set to be released in a matter of weeks,” according to Wilson’s lawyer’s pleadings.
Wilson’s attorney further states in her court papers that although Vasquez has been asked to stop such behavior, “it remains clear that they have no intention of ceasing their conduct.”
Alleging new defamatory statements, Ghost has filed a separate defamation action in addition to the one she and fellow “The Deb” producers Cameron and Holden originally brought against Wilson in July 2024.
The underlying original case alleges that Wilson told her 11 million Instagram followers that the producers of the film had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct. “The Deb” is a 2024 musical that was Wilson’s directorial debut.
Wilson, 46, has moved to dismiss Ghost’s individual action on First Amendment grounds. The anti-SLAPP motion is scheduled for hearing on May 5.
Wilson has filed a countersuit in the original underlying case that accuses the producers of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct” while also contending that they inflated the film’s budget and split the extra money between them.
In November 2024, the judge denied Wilson’s dismissal motion in the producers’ underlying case and his ruling is under appeal.
In both the underlying case and in opposing Ghost’s individual action, Wilson is citing the state’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) statute. The law is aimed at stopping people from using courts, and potential threats of a lawsuit, to intimidate those who are exercising their First Amendment rights.