BAUER MEDIA TO FIGHT RECORD DEFAMATION PAYOUT AWARDED TO REBEL WILSON

Rebel Wilson was awarded the damages by an Australian court last month after arguing that she had been wrongly portrayed as a liar in several articles. But now, a magazine publisher will appeal against an A$5.5m defamation payout – a record sum for a defamation case in Australia.

Bauer Media announced on Monday that it would be lodging an appeal. 

"It's important for us to revisit this unprecedented decision on the quantum of damages, which also broad implications for the media industry," said Adrian Goss, a lawyer for the group, in a statement. 

Bauer Media had argued during the case that the articles were not defamatory, but the appeal was announced on Monday contests only the payout's size. 

In June, a jury ruled the eight articles had harmed the Australian's actress's career in Hollywood. 

Wilson sought A$7m during the trial but had offered to settle for A$200,000 before taking the case to court. 

When ordering the payout in September, Justice John Dixon said the defamation case had been "unprecedented in this country" as a result of its international reach. 

"Ms Wilson's reputation as an actress of integrity was wrongly damaged in a manner that affected her marketability in a huge worldwide audience," he said.