Three producers suing Australian actor Rebel Wilson for defamation have requested a 90-day stay in a Los Angeles court to investigate the source of an anonymous website that they claim published 'grotesque lies' about them.
The defamation proceedings were launched in July after Wilson told her 11 million Instagram followers that the producers of her film The Deb had engaged in theft, bullying and sexual misconduct. The producers deny the claims as 'false and malicious'.
In court documents filed on Tuesday, lawyers for Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden alleged that shortly after the defamation action, Wilson sent emails threatening to 'very publicly ruin them'. Two days later, an anonymous website appeared, including allegations that Ghost, who is of Indo-Trinidadian heritage, was the 'Indian Ghislaine Maxwell'.
The producers' motion argues there is reason to believe discovery will yield evidence that Wilson 'aggressively spread such rumours', supporting an inference of actual malice that would strike down Wilson's anti-SLAPP motion. The anti-SLAPP case is due to be heard on 21 November.
Wilson has countersued, repeating many of her initial allegations. The dispute also involves credit for writing and music on The Deb, with the Australian Writers' Guild having found in favour of the writers and producers in a binding arbitration.
