Rebel Wilson has been blasted in court for redacting her own texts, sending lawyers expired WeTransfer links, and claiming she cannot locate certain evidence, a court has heard.

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation in the Federal Court by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor in musical comedy The Deb, which was directed by Wilson and premiered on April 9.

MacInnes launched legal proceedings in September after a series of Instagram posts. Wilson accused her of complaining about unwanted sexual advances by producer Amanda Ghost, and then lying about it to get a record contract. 

She denies the sexual assault occurred, that she complained about it to Wilson, and that she lied about it in return for a lead role and a record deal.

MacInnes claims the social media posts damaged her professional reputation and created doubts about her trustworthiness before she played her first lead role in a film.

According to MacInnes’ statement of claim, Wilson’s posts accused her of lying and blocking the film’s release, and portray her as selfishly prioritising her own career over the hundreds of cast and crew who worked on The Deb.

A nine-day hearing began before Justice Elizabeth Raper on Monday.

Before anyone had given evidence, MacInnes’ lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court that Wilson had failed to provide a series of text messages that she was ordered to produce.

Rebel Wilson is pictured arriving at the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday

Rebel Wilson is being sued by her The Deb co-star in the Federal Court

Charlotte MacInnes is pictured arriving at the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday

Ms Chrysanthou said some of the text messages provided to the court by Wilson had been redacted so that only one line of text was visible.

She said it was not for Wilson to decide whether to conceal evidence by redacting text messages.

‘We’re very concerned by the approach taken by Ms Wilson and her lawyers in relation to production we find ourselves in a position where Ms Wilson has not been produced documents,’ Ms Chrysanthou told the court.

‘It’s very difficult to see how her solicitors had those texts two weeks ago … and now don’t have them, and they don’t have the surrounding texts.’

In some instances, Ms Chrysanthou said, Wilson sent expired links from the file-sharing platform, WeTransfer.

Those links were originally meant for 60 Minutes, ahead of an interview Wilson did with Channel Nine journalist Tara Brown.

‘She must have the files connected to those links,’ Ms Chrysanthou said.

‘To provide us with expired links so 60 Minutes can access them is not compliance, and it beggars belief that Wilson does not recall or have a folder on her computer of the documents she provided to 60 Minutes by way of the link. 

Rebel Wilson (pictured) starred in and co-produced musical comedy, The Deb

Charlotte MacInnes (pictured) plays the lead role in The Deb, directed by Rebel Wilson

‘It was in November, it wasn’t something that happened two years ago, and the reason we know about the link is because it was referred to in the documents subpoenaed to channel 9.’

Wilson’s lawyer Dauid Sibtain SC said they did respond to notices to produce evidence – there was nothing to produce in one category, and some documents had been identified in other categories.

Mr Sibtain told the court some details had been redacted and that Wilson would comply with an order to documents by lunchtime on Monday.

MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages for serious harm caused as well as a court order preventing Wilson from repeating the allegedly defamatory claims online.

The hearing follows a case management hearing in March to address Wilson’s ongoing commentary about MacInnes, amid the ongoing legal dispute.

Wilson had posted 23 Instagram stories saying she felt compelled to address the court case due to the ‘bombardment’ on her character, and falsely implied a photo of a woman in a sexual position on the floor was MacInnes.

MacInnes’s barrister Ms Chrysanthou told the court she was seeking orders to prevent Wilson from speaking about the proceedings, her client, or any witnesses in the proceedings.

Asked why an undertaking would not suffice, Ms Chrysanthou told the court Wilson couldn’t be trusted with anything less than a legally binding court order.

‘[Wilson has] made her bed when it comes to what she should be allowed to say and not say, and she’s put herself in this position,’ she said. 

Pictured: Rebel Wilson and Charlotte MacInnes (together, centre) at a party hosted by Wilson

Pictured: An image posted by Wilson on Wednesday with two women in a sexual position on the floor. Wilson wrongly implied one of the women was MacInnes

‘Your Honour should not accept her promise.

‘She has not come to apologise to you, to my client or to the witnesses she maligned, and she’s not given any explanation via correspondence from her lawyer or in person.’

Ms Chrysanthou told the court she had granted Wilson a 15-minute time extension on Wednesday in relation to a court undertaking.

‘In the time we granted, Wilson went online again and said “I will not be silenced”,’ she said.

Ms Chrysanthou said Wilson’s wife also took to social media to comment on the case, and requested a court order to prevent anyone from making comments on Wilson’s behalf.

Wilson’s barrister Mr Sibtain argued his client had contractual obligations to promote the film, and any orders preventing her from speaking about MacInnes or producers would stop her from fulfilling those obligations.

He suggested orders preventing Wilson from speaking about her colleagues should only apply in relation to the legal proceedings, leaving Wilson free to speak about MacInnes and producers while promoting the film.

However, Ms Chrysanthou said Wilson would then be able to make disparaging comments about her client that were not directly related to court proceedings.

Charlotte MacInnes is represented by defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou

She referenced an Instagram story by Wilson on Wednesday which was not specifically related to court proceedings, but which falsely implied a photo of a woman in a sexual pose was MacInnes.

Ms Chrysanthou also said Wilson wrongly told journalist Tara Brown that MacInnes was ‘part of some giant sex ring’ in an unaired portion of a Nine Network interview, which was obtained by subpoena.

‘It’s a straight-out allegation she made to Tara Brown, and Nine was clever enough not to republish it, but it’s a separate allegation to these proceedings that is outrageous,’ said Ms Chrysanthou.

The matter is one of three Wilson is embroiled in.

The Deb was a joint production between AI Film and Wilson’s company Camp Sugar, featuring Wilson both in the director’s chair and on-screen in a starring role.

Three of the film’s producers in the US and production company AI Film are seeking damages in the NSW Supreme Court.

That lawsuit claims Wilson made false and derogatory statements about the producers, including the accusations of engaging in inappropriate conduct towards MacInnes.

Wilson called her co-producers’ NSW Supreme Court action an act of ‘spiteful toxic behaviour’ in a lengthy Instagram post last year.

‘Apparently I’m being sued in Australia?’ she began. ‘It makes no sense.

‘As the director, producer and co-star who nurtured a project called The Deb for five years from a three-page idea into a gorgeous feature film – I wish nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen.

‘To say otherwise is complete nonsense. I’m so proud of the film!

‘In my opinion this is continued bullying and harassment from UK financiers of the project Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden.

‘They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and now they’ve tried to stop the film being released because of a baseless US lawsuit and now a further Australian one.’

Wilson said it was ‘imperative the movie is released’ and added it was ‘sad’ to see the hard work of ‘so many Australians’ involved in the film go to waste.

‘Contractually, as financiers, they have the power to sell or release/distribute the film,’ she wrote. ‘They haven’t done so.

‘It’s been a year since the film has been completed and ready to go in cinemas. Instead, in my opinion they have continued this spiteful toxic behaviour.’

Wilson then revealed the first song in The Deb is called F*** My Life and released it for fans to hear ‘because if these f***wits aren’t going to release the movie I may as well’.

The Supreme Court matter, in which Wilson has filed a cross-claim, was listed for a directions hearing on April 10 – the day after the film’s release.