Hollywood star Rebel Wilson says magazine publisher Bauer Media's move to fight her record $4.5 million defamation payout will be a "chance to expose more of their disgraceful practices".
The publisher of Woman's Day and Australian Women's Weekly defamed the Pitch Perfect and Fat Pizza star in a series of eight articles during May 2015 portraying her as a serial liar about her age, real name and childhood.
On Monday Bauer Media confirmed it would appeal the $650,000 in general damages and $3,917,472 in special damages it was ordered to pay by the Victorian Supreme Court in September.
Bauer says the pay out needs to be revisited.
"It's important for us to revisit this unprecedented decision on the quantum of damages, which also has broad implications for the media industry," the company's general counsel Adrian Goss said in a statement.
Media lawyer Justin Quill said Wilson's defamation damages payout, several times higher than the previous record of $1.1 million, was "off the charts".
Bauer would likely appeal on a number of grounds, including against Wilson's claims she'd lost contracts and movie deals as a result of the defamatory articles, he added.
"Am not surprised that Bauer has decided to appeal the damages amount in my recent defamation case considering their disgusting history," Wilson tweeted.
"I am disappointed that this now delays my plans to support Australian charities and Australians in the entertainment industry.
"Nevertheless if this is a chance to expose more of their disgraceful practices and present more evidence on damages, I welcome it. Thank you so much to the past and present employees of this media organization who have come forward with helpful information."
Bauer claimed Wilson invented "fantastic stories in order to make it in Hollywood".
An all-female Victorian Supreme Court jury sided with the 37-year-old comic star following a four-week trial in June, with Justice John Dixon subsequently admonishing the publisher for wrongly damaging her "reputation as an actress of integrity".
Justice Dixon's ruling that the general damages cap of $389,500 did not apply, due to the publisher's conduct, is also likely to be targeted by Bauer, Mr Quill said.
"That's a really big decision - that's a really big aspect of the judgment. It has really big implications for not just Bauer but the rest of the media," he told AAP.
"It means potentially every plaintiff going forward will think 'I can get uncapped damages'."
He said he thought Bauer had good prospects for success.
"Frankly, in terms of the damages cap point, I really hope they are successful there. I think it's a massive and significant change to defamation law in Australia," he said.
"It's got serious ramifications for the rest of the media."
