Experts in media law say Australian actress Rebel Wilson’s landmark defamation case against Bauer Media will not set a precedent for future defamation cases.
Wilson won a record four point five million dollars in defamatory damages, the highest defamation payout in Australian history.
Lecturer at the University of Sydney Michael Douglas says, the judge was justified in going above the usual defamation cap because they were able to show Wilson lost income as a result of the articles.
“This is a unique case in that most of the time when people sue for defamation, it’s quite difficult to point to some concrete loss which the person suffered,” Douglas said.
“That’s probably why this award was so much larger than many of the other awards you’re likely to see.”
