Rebel Wilson has been cleared of allegations she defamed a young Australian actress, a Sydney court has found.

Charlotte MacInnes, who starred in Wilson’s film The Deb, is suing the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress for allegedly damaging her reputation in Instagram posts in 2024 and 2025.

In the posts, Wilson accused MacInnes of retracting her sexual harassment complaint against a film producer in order to advance her career, a claim MacInnes denied.

In court on Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth Raper dismissed the case, saying the allegation that MacInnes had changed his story about the incident was not defamatory. The judge ordered MacInnes to pay Wilson’s costs.

The case centers on an incident that occurred in September 2023 when MacInnes went swimming at Bondi Beach with Amanda Ghost, one of the producers of Wilson’s film.

Ghost had an allergic reaction to the cold water, prompting the couple to return to the luxurious apartment the producer was renting.

Ghost took a shower while MacInnes ran him a bath. The young actress went into the bathroom to warm up and Ghost joined her shortly after. They were both wearing bathing suits.

In communicating his decision, Raper commented on the bathroom incident.

“To say the circumstances surrounding how they got to the bathroom are unusual would be an understatement,” he told the court.

Raper also found that MacInnes had failed to establish that the posts had caused or were likely to cause serious harm.

Wilson posted on Instagram moments after the decision, saying that “the process has taught me a lot.”

“It’s tested me, but it’s also reinforced something I’ve always believed in. I want to live my life standing up for what I believe is right, while still creating work that brings joy to people.”

Wilson thanked her supporters and said she was “grateful that this chapter has come to its conclusion.” He also thanked the judge in his case and “the Australian legal system for which I have the greatest respect.”

The BBC has contacted MacInnes for comment.

During the three-week trial earlier this year, Wilson claimed MacInnes spoke to her the day after the bathroom incident and told her: “Amanda asked me to bathe and shower with her and that made me feel uncomfortable.”

Wilson later called MacInnes to ask him again about the bathroom incident, as she was worried.

After the call, Wilson sent Ghost a text message, shown to the court, that said: “Charlotte says everything is fine. She just meant ‘it was a weird situation,’ not that she was personally uncomfortable.”

Previously, MacInnes’ lawyers said Wilson’s allegations were “malicious concoctions” and the court heard claims the Hollywood star had ordered a defamatory website to attack Ghost, which Wilson denied.

Wilson’s lawyer argued that MacInnes, who graduated from acting school in Western Australia in 2021, had not been harmed by the posts, pointing to a recent record deal she had signed.