Rebel Wilson Isn't The Only Celebrity Who Got The Last Word In A Defamation Lawsuit

Celebrities have had to get tough with magazines and newspapers that publish lies about both their current lives or their pasts, and both print media and independent individuals are being forced to prove the truth of what they've written or pay for their dishonesty.

Let's face it, too often people get away with falsifying information about celebrities and their private lives. It's no wonder these celebs are trying to strike back, and some of the defendants get hit hard by the juries or through settlements. Either way, they end up paying for what they never should have published at all, and some celebrities, like these five, get vindication.

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson won a defamation lawsuit against Bauer Media in June 2017 because of eight articles published in Woman's Day,Australian Women's Weekly,NW and OK Magazine that alleged Wilson had invented her entire life story in an effort to make it in Hollywood. Earlier this month, Wilson was awarded a record-breaking $4.5 million Australian dollars.

Tom Cruise

Back in 2003, Tom Cruise sued Chad Slater who was once an "erotic wrestler" for claiming he and Cruise had an affair. Supposedly, that affair broke up Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman. Slater later admitted that he was lying, and Cruise was awarded $10 million.

Kate Hudson

In 2006, the National Enquirer UK ran a story with a photograph of Kate Hudson who the gossip magazine claimed looked too thin. The article was headlined "Goldie Tells Kate: Eat Something! And She Listens! Star confronts daughter after photographs show her painfully thin." Kate Hudson sued the magazine for libel and won both an apology and an undisclosed amount of damages.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet took issue with Daily Mail's claim that she was lying about her exercise routine. The article included naked pictures of Winslet and also called her "the world's most irritating actress." Though Winslet couldn't do anything about Daily Mail's opinion of her acting abilities, she was able to sue the newspaper for libel for its dishonesty. London's High Court awarded her 25,000 British pounds.

Daily Mail went after another target in 2014 when it claimed the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling, was lying when she told a story about being stigmatized by churchgoers. Rowling sued for libel, and the newspaper issued an apology and paid the author "substantial damages."

It would seem wise —and financially beneficial— that these publications would learn from the past, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Apparently, as long as there are celebrities, there will be lies and lawsuits.

[Sources: People, USMagazine, Guardian, BBC]