Rebel Wilson Denies Phone-Dumping Accusation in Defamation Trial
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has rejected an accusation that she deliberately withheld phone communications in a defamation trial.
- Wilson is being sued by actor Charlotte MacInnes, who alleges Wilson defamed her on social media by suggesting she retracted a sexual harassment complaint.
- Wilson claims her phone was stolen in London, preventing her from handing over requested communications, a statement her lawyer's opponent called "absolutely outrageous."
In the ongoing defamation trial, Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson has vehemently denied claims that she intentionally withheld crucial phone communications. The "Pitch Perfect" star is embroiled in a legal battle with Charlotte MacInnes, a younger actor who alleges Wilson defamed her through social media posts. MacInnes claims Wilson falsely portrayed her as a liar who retracted a sexual harassment complaint to advance her career.
I was pretty shocked by it. I took it as a sexual harassment complaint.
Wilson, who testified for a second day, presented her defense by stating her phone was stolen while she was in London. This, she explained, made it impossible to provide certain text message exchanges requested by MacInnes' legal team. Some of these conversations, Wilson added, were not backed up, further complicating their retrieval.
That is absolutely outrageous.
MacInnes' lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou SC, challenged Wilson's account, directly asking if she had "dumped" her phone in a park rather than having it stolen. Wilson's response was sharp and unequivocal: "That is absolutely outrageous." The trial also delved into specific text message exchanges between Wilson and MacInnes, with Wilson defending her tone in one message as not constituting bullying, despite suggestions otherwise from the opposing counsel. Wilson maintains that she took MacInnes' initial concerns about a co-producer seriously and escalated them appropriately.
In the future, it is terribly rude to say you wanted a ticket to a show and then you don’t reply or follow up … not a great start to our working relationship.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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