Judge Rejects Bid to Punish Rebel Wilson Over Alleged False Testimony and Deleted Evidence

A California judge has rejected a request to dismiss Rebel Wilson's claims or impose more than $474,000 in financial penalties over allegations that the actress lied under oath, manipulated evidence, and helped create anonymous websites targeting a producer of her film The Deb.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Long denied the producers' sanctions request on October 22, 2026, while allowing them to pursue other legal remedies involving Wilson's testimony and handling of evidence. The ruling leaves the underlying allegations unresolved as the defamation litigation continues.

Producers Amanda Ghost, her husband Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden sought terminating sanctions, which would have dismissed Wilson's claims, or alternatively substantial financial penalties. They also asked the court to instruct a future jury that Wilson had deliberately destroyed evidence and repeatedly given false testimony.

During the hearing, Long acknowledged the high threshold for dismissing claims as a sanction, describing such a penalty as "very difficult, right out of the box." His written ruling allowed the producers to seek jury instructions concerning the intentional suppression of evidence or request permission to amend their complaint to include allegations of evidence destruction or manipulation.

The motion, prepared by attorneys Camille Vasquez and Samuel Moniz, accused Wilson of committing fraud on the court, a serious form of misconduct intended to interfere with the judicial process.

One allegation concerned a demand letter sent by Wilson's attorney, Bryan Freedman, during the early stages of the dispute. Producers claimed Wilson falsely denied under oath that she had provided the document to a reporter.

Their attorneys cited a July 12, 2024, message produced during discovery in which Wilson allegedly instructed her publicist, Marcy Engelman, to send the letter "immediately" to a journalist identified as Matt. The producers argued that the communication contradicted Wilson's sworn testimony.

Another allegation involved anonymous websites targeting Ghost, including amandaghostsucks.com, which portrayed the producer as involved in sex trafficking.

According to the sanctions motion, communications involving Wilson's crisis public relations team discussed creating websites that would depict Ghost as a criminal figure. The producers also cited a proposed $110,000 fee for an allegedly untraceable website and metadata from a draft document that they said identified Wilson's company, Camp Sugar, as its author.

Wilson has disputed accusations that she orchestrated the websites or deliberately manipulated evidence. Her attorney, Allyson K. Thompson, argued that the producers sought extraordinary penalties while discovery was still underway and before Wilson had completed her deposition.

Thompson maintained that a jury should assess the competing accounts and determine Wilson's credibility. She also accused the producers of using the sanctions motion to damage her client's reputation through disputed public allegations.

The litigation began in July 2024 after Wilson publicly accused the producers of financial misconduct and inappropriate behavior during production of The Deb. Ghost, Cameron and Holden sued her for defamation, alleging that she made false statements following disputes over creative control and writing credits.

Wilson countersued, alleging theft, bullying, intimidation, and breach of contract during the film's production. Her allegations included claims involving Ghost's conduct toward lead actress Charlotte MacInnes, who disputed Wilson's characterization of an incident during filming.

The California ruling came one day before a separate Australian court decision involving Wilson and the film's producers. On October 23, the Supreme Court of New South Wales awarded Wilson's production company approximately 359,000 Australian dollars in unpaid fees, while awarding a subsidiary of AI Film just 10 Australian dollars in nominal damages over violations of a social media agreement.

Justice Elisabeth Peden found that Wilson had requested the creation of a malicious website targeting Ghost, but the opposing production company failed to establish that the website caused the financial losses it claimed. The finding arose from separate Australian proceedings and does not resolve the allegations or determine liability in the California case.

Wilson also prevailed in a separate Australian defamation case brought by MacInnes in July. That court dismissed MacInnes' claims after finding that the challenged statements were not defamatory and that she had failed to establish serious reputational harm. MacInnes has appealed.

Meanwhile, the California parties have sought to postpone their trial, currently scheduled for January 19, 2027. In an October 21 filing, Wilson's attorney requested that proceedings be moved to March 22, 2027, or a later agreed date, citing medical leave affecting her ability to prepare.

The proposed postponement remains subject to judicial approval, with the California case continuing toward trial as the parties pursue their remaining claims and evidentiary disputes.