The actress won a historic defamation payout from the publisher
Actress Rebel Wilson is fighting to reclaim the majority of $1.5million she spent suing Bauer Media for defamation to be repaid by the publisher. The Pitch Perfect actress was awarded one of the highest defamation payouts in Australian history after receiving $4.5million from the company last year.
Actress Rebel Wilson successfully sued Bauer Media last year
The 38-year-old star challenged the publisher over a series of magazine articles printed in 2015. It was revealed in the Supreme Court of Victoria that Rebel spent a seven-figure sum over the 22-day trial, including her barrister Matthew Collins' fees of $9,900 a day, including tax.
It is expected she will have at least 80 per cent of those costs - or $1.123million - repaid, but Wilson's legal team is arguing she should get at least $1.3million back.
MORE: Rebel Wilson On How To Do An American Accent
Her barrister Renee Enbom argued that Justice John Dixon make an order on costs rather than have the matter go to a dedicated costs court. She said Wilson and Bauer Media were arguing over a difference of between $100,000 and $200,000.
Justice Dixon previously found Bauer relied on 'hopeless', or unwinnable defences during the trial, purely to keep Wilson 'worried all the way to verdict'.
Ms Enbom argued that was an 'improper motivation', and the matter of costs should be decided by the trial judge as a result.
However, Justice Dixon said he had already dealt with the matter by awarding Wilson aggravated damages and didn't want to arbitrarily decide on costs.
"I don't see why I should interfere with the standard processes ... for dealing with the issue of costs," he said.
MORE: Rebel Wilson Gets Massive Payout In Defamation Lawsuit Against Australian Magazines
"It might be efficient and timely, but in the sense it becomes arbitrary, it ceases to be just."
Ms Enbom also argued Wilson may have to wait until the end of 2018 before recovering her fees if the matter went to a costs court, costing more than another $100,000 to finalise.
She said Wilson had offered to settle the defamation matter - for $200,000 - before it went to trial, but Bauer knocked back the offer.
"She went on to incur an enormous amount of money," Ms Enbom said.
Wilson's lawyers successfully proved to an all-woman jury that Bauer branded the screen star as a 'serial liar' who fabricated untruths about her age, real name and childhood in order to make it in Hollywood.
Bauer Media plans to appeal against the $4.5 million payout, with the matter listed for mid-April.
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