Woman behind Geoffrey Rush inappropriate behaviour claims to testify for newspaper

The woman whose claims are at the centre of the defamation case brought by the actor Geoffrey Rush against the Daily Telegraph in Australia is to testify on behalf of the newspaper.

Rush is suing the News Corp-owned newspaper after it printed stories in November and December last year which accused him of sexually inappropriate behaviour.

The Oscar-winner, who has strongly denied the accusations, is claiming that the articles were defamatory, and painted him as a ‘pervert’ and a ‘sexual predator’.

But now the woman involved, a co-star of Rush’s at the Sydney Theatre Company who has not previously spoken publicly about the claims, will stand as a witness for the Telegraph via a statement.

According to The Guardian, Rush’s lawyers are seeking to have the statement thrown out, adding that they have witnesses who can ‘directly contradict’ her claims.

They also pointed to supposed inconsistencies in her statement about the alleged incidents, which were said to involve Rush touching the actress inappropriately while carrying her on stage, and following her into the female toilets.

Rush’s defence team has accused the newspaper of acting out of ‘malice’, and that it made the decision to publish the articles ‘predominantly for the improper motive of harming’ their client.

He recently pulled out of a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for the Melbourne Theatre Company, citing ‘current circumstances and medical advice’.

“I know that I would not be able to provide the necessary creative spirit and the professional stamina required for the project,” Rush said in a statement.

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