Hollywood star Rebel Wilson will take the witness box for the second day in the defamation case against her by the lead actor in her directorial debut, The Deb.
Charlotte MacInnes launched civil proceedings after Wilson publicly accused her of complaining about sexual harassment by the film's senior producer, Amanda Ghost, after a sunset swim at Bondi Beach in September 2023.
Wilson has also accused MacInnes of lying about making the complaint because she was then offered a record deal and a lead role in one of Ghost's other productions.
MacInnes denies the sexual harassment occurred. She also denies making a complaint and lying about making a complaint in return for a contract.
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23:01
Rebel's low-ball offer to sign young star for a record contract
Rebel Wilson offered a young star less than $2,000 for international exclusive rights to all her future recordings for a contract for up to four albums, court documents reveal.
The Pitch Perfect star and film production company Unigram offered the contract to singer and actor Charlotte MacInnes after she was cast in the lead role for the musical comedy film, The Deb.
The Deb was co-produced by Unigram - which is owned by Amanda Ghost and her husband, Gregor Cameron - and Wilson, who also directed and starred in the film.
On Tuesday, the Federal Court heard Wilson and Ghost were excited by MacInnes' talent after her film audition in 2023.
They gave her the lead role in the film and offered her a recording contract under Wilson's imprint label Rebellionaire with an advance of £1000, about AU$1800, in exchange for the rights to her future as a recording artist.
But the contract wasn't a record deal - instead, it gave Wilson and Unigram the option of giving MacInnes a record deal if they wanted to, but they were under no obligation to do so.
It also tied MacInnes' future career to the release of The Deb. If Wilson and Unigram decided to give her a record deal, they would have to do so 'no later than one year after the initial commercial cinematic release of The Deb movie'.
This tied her music career into the release of the film. If it was delayed or shelved, MacInnes would have been locked into the contract indefinitely and banned from entering another agreement with a record label.
The contract also had a table for the advances MacInnes would receive if she released up to four albums with Rebellionaire, but the minimum and maximum figures were left blank.
MacInnes did not sign the contract and told the court last week it was a bad deal.
She instead signed with Atlantic and received an advance of about $145,000.
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Rebel Wilson will be cross-examined for a second day
Rebel Wilson is being sued for defamation in the Federal Court by Charlotte MacInnes - the lead actor in musical comedy The Deb, which was directed by Wilson.
MacInnes launched legal proceedings in September after a series of Instagram posts where Wilson accused her of complaining about unwanted sexual advances by producer Amanda Ghost, and then lying about it to get a record contract.
MacInnes denies the sexual assault occurred, that she complained about it to Wilson, and that she retracted it in return for another lead role and the record deal.
The situation unfolded when MacInnes and Ghost had a sunset swim at Bondi Beach on September 5, 2023.
Ghost had a flare-up of a rare condition called cold urticaria, which causes hives or swelling after exposure to cold air or water. MacInnes took her back to their rented Bondi penthouse and ran a hot bath.
MacInnes got in the bath with Ghost. They were both wearing swimming costumes.
Wilson claims MacInnes felt uncomfortable about bathing with Ghsot, who was her boss at the time, and made a complaint to Wilson.
MacInnes says she never felt uncomfortable about the bath and denies making a complaint.
According to MacInnes' statement of claim, Wilson's posts accused her of lying about sexual assault and blocking the film's release, and portraying her as selfishly prioritising her own career over cast and crew who worked on The Deb.
She claims Wilson's social media posts damaged her professional reputation and created doubts about her trustworthiness before she played her first lead role in a film.
MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages for serious harm caused, as well as a court order preventing Wilson from repeating the claims online.
