Geoffrey Rush Awarded $1.9 Million
in #MeToo Defamation Case Geoffrey Rush sued ‘The
Daily Telegraph’ in 2017,
after they published a series
of abuse allegations against him. The Australia based newspaper reported that
Rush had inappropriately touched and harassed his
co-star, Eryn Jean Norvill, while working together. The abuse allegedly occurred during their
production of King Lear in Sydney, Australia,
between November 2015 and January 2016. Justice Michael Wigney ruled the Telegraph’s
piece to be“recklessly irresponsible piece of
sensational journalism of the worst kind.” Wigney also questioned the credibility
of Norvill, calling her “prone to
exaggeration and embellishment.” As a result, Rush was awarded
$600,000 in damages in April 2019, and has now received an additional
$1.9 million to compensate his financial
losses due to the defamation. Norvill continues to maintain that her claims
against Rush are true and even testified on
behalf of ‘The Daily Telegraph’ during the trial. Eryn Jean Norvill, via
‘New York Times’