BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian actor Rebel Wilson returned to a court in Sydney on Monday over her directorial debut, “The Deb,” with producers accusing her of sabotaging the 2024 musical comedy.
AI Film Production Limited is suing Wilson in the New South Wales state Supreme Court alleging she undermined and blocked the release of the film, causing the Britain-based production company financial and reputational damage.
The film's release was shelved in 2024, after Wilson fell out with co-producers Amanda Ghost, her husband Greg Cameron and Vince Holden. It was eventually released in April this year.
The star of the “Pitch Perfect” films and “Bridesmaids” won a defamation suit in the Federal Court in Sydney in July. That suit had been brought by the star of the “The Deb,” Australian actor Charlotte MacInnes.
Wilson’s social media posts in July 2024 are at the center of both suits.
The three AI Film co-producers alleged Wilson accused them of inappropriate behavior conduct toward MacInnes, embezzling money and trying to block the film's release.
They said that Wilson and her company Camp Sugar Productions breached consumer law concerning misleading conduct and breached various contracts by making allegedly defamatory statements about them to her 11 million Instagram followers.
Wilson was accused of preventing the film's release by undermining negotiations with potential distributors and threatening an injunction against showing the film in Australia.
AI Film is seeking unspecified damages as well as an apology from Wilson for misleading and deceptive conduct. AI Film is also seeking corrective advertising.
In a cross-claim, Wilson and Camp Sugar alleged the three co-producers' involvement in the film was marked by “a troubling pattern of illicit egregious behaviors, including theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”
Wilson said that Ghost broke verbal agreements over writing credits and a soundtrack album deal. Wilson also alleged Cameron and Holden embezzled 900,000 Australian dollars ($642,000) from a joint venture company set up to make the movie.
Wilson sat at the back of the courtroom on Monday and frequently typed on her phone as her lawyer Dauid Sibtain questioned the first witness, Holden.
The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday.
In the previous federal court case, MacInnes had alleged Wilson defamed her or breached her confidence in four social media posts from September 2024 to July 2025, by falsely suggesting she had withdrawn a sexual harassment complaint against Ghost to advance her career.
MacInnes denied ever making such a complaint, but a judge ruled that none of Wilson’s posts were defamatory.
Australian actor Rebel Wilson arrives at the Federal Court of Australia, in Sydney, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (Sarah Wilson/AAP Image via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The driver of a minivan that crashed outside a Los Angeles metro station, killing three women and critically injuring two more, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and three counts of murder, police said Wednesday.
Authorities say the driver was able to talk but appeared in shock after Tuesday's crash during rush hour, hitting pedestrians and food vendors at a busy intersection in the North Hollywood neighborhood.
Police identified the driver as Ihor Demianenko, 61, a resident of the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Jail records show Demianenko was booked early Wednesday, with bail set at a little over $6 million. He was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, police said.
It was not immediately clear if Demianenko had a lawyer who could respond to the allegations.
In California, drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can be charged with murder under certain circumstances.
The white Toyota Sienna was traveling at an “unsafe speed” when it veered to the right, ran off the road and collided with a light, Los Angeles police said in a news release Wednesday. It came to rest under a food vendor’s tent.
The force of the collision threw the victims in different directions, according to the news release. The driver was trapped in the vehicle until rescuers arrived.
Luis Luna-Guzman was working at a burger stand nearby when he heard a loud boom and saw people on the ground along with food and cups. People started running toward the crash.
He found an injured woman lying near some bike racks, her face, arms and legs bloody, he said, recalling her eyes were closed as she moaned in pain.
“I told her, ‘Don’t move, help is coming,’” Luna-Guzman said, adding that he saw a woman’s body nearby, while another woman was lying unmoving on the stairs leading to the station.
The three women who died were between the ages of 40 and 60, according to the police news release. They have not been identified. The two injured women are in their 50s.
The minivan was still on the sidewalk under a food vendor’s tent surrounded by debris Tuesday night with its driver’s side door open and an air bag deployed. Fire engines and emergency crews worked nearby as a helicopter flew overhead.
Investigators will go through video of the crash frame by frame, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
“It will be probably a prolonged but a very deliberate investigation to determine what happened here,” he said.
Thanawala reported from Atlanta.
Members of law enforcement walks next to a damaged car at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)
This photo made with a smartphone, shows the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)
Debris lies at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)
A damaged vehicle lies at the scene of a vehicle crash, involving multiple fatalities, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Swanson)
