The most high-profile defamation lawsuits in the history of Hollywood

Celebrities are constantly under public scrutiny and can barely conceal a secret from the paparazzi. In order to get attention through click bait contents, some people as well as publications don't even hesitate to produce fabricated stories and tell bizarre lies about celebrities.

From Tom Cruise, to Kate Winslet to Sean Penn, a number of Hollywood celebrities have filed defamation cases against individuals and publishers for spreading horrific lies about them.

Defamation refers to the act of hurting someone's reputation either through slander (spoken) or libel (written).

On numerous occasions, some celebrities have scored victory in defamation cases, while there are others who have lost the legal battles.

Let's take a look at the most high-profile defamation lawsuits in the history of Hollywood.

10 Kate Hudson

Hollywood actor and businesswoman, Kate Hudson once sued the UK edition of the National Enquirer for defamation, as the tabloid spread rumours about Hudson's eating habits.

The tabloid claimed Hudson has an eating disorder and edited her picture to make her look terribly thin. They published those fabricated photos under the title "Goldie Tells Kate: Eat Something! And She Listens! Star confronts daughter after photographs show her painfully thin."

Kate won the legal battle and was awarded an undisclosed sum.  The publisher also issued an apology.

9 Cameron Diaz

Former American actor and model Cameron Diaz filed a defamation case against the British tabloid "The Sun" for publishing a story where the tabloid said Cameron ditched singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for a married man. The judge took Cameron's side and compelled "The Sun" to publish an apology and pay her an undisclosed amount of compensation for the attempt of staining her reputation.

8 Russell Brand

Like Camron Diaz, English comedian also became a victim of defamation case, and like Cameron Diaz, he sued the British tabloid "The Sun", for running a story which said Russell Band cheated on his girlfriend at the time, Jemima Khan. The case was taken to London's high court to bring settlements among both parties.

Russell found the article to be "distressing, hurtful and damaging." The court sided with Russel and forced the publisher to print an apology and pay an undisclosed sum to the victim.

7 Keira Knightley

English actor Keira Knightley filed a defamation lawsuit against Daily Mail for using her photos taken at a beach in an article about a girl who died due to anorexia which created an impression that Keira also suffered from anorexia. Keira found the use of her photo offensive and clarified that she doesn't suffer from anorexia.

Anorexia refers to an eating disorder characterised by low weight. The verdict of the case was in favour of Keira and she donated the sum she won to an eating disorder charity.

6 Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet, who is widely famous for starring as Rose in the 1997 film Titanic, had sued "Daily Mail" for publishing an article titled "Should Kate Winslet win an Oscar for the world's most irritating actress?"

Kate Winslet took the publishers to London's High Court and won approximately $40,000 for damages.

5 Katie Holmes

Hollywood actor, director and producer Katie Holmes sued the magazine "Star" for running a story that claimed Holmes was a drug addict.

She won the verdict in her favour and the magazine was compelled to publish a written apology stating that they "did not intend to suggest that Ms Holmes was a drug addict or was undergoing treatment for drug addiction."

The court also compelled the magazine to make a donation to a charity of Holmes' choice.

4 Sean Penn

Sean Penn filed a defamation lawsuit against the creator of "Empire" Lee Daniels.

During an interview, Lee made a comparison between Terrance Howard and Sean Penn saying they are both similar. Terrance Howard was alleged as a domestic abuser. Sean did not like the comparison as he claims has never been abusive to anyone.

3 Rebel Wilson

"Pitch Perfect" famed actor Rebel Wilson, who starred as "Fat Amy" in all three films of the franchise, was involved in a complicated defamation case.

She sued Bauer media over a series of articles which portrayed her as a "constant liar". Wilson said she was not getting any roles because of the defamatory articles. The court sided with Wilson and compelled Bauer media to pay her in millions.

But the company then filed an appeal and won the legal battle as Wilson failed to prove that the articles were the sole reason for her not being able to get roles in films. The court then ordered Rebel to return the compensation she had previously won to Bauer media.

2 Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey also sued a magazine in Australia for defamation due to a published article that claimed he had harassed a number of actresses. The article said actresses like Drew Barrymore and Alicia Silverstone refused to work with him because of his "inappropriate behaviour".

1 Tom Cruise

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise scored a victory in a defamation case against a gay porn actor. The adult film actor claimed to have an affair with the Top Gun Maverick star.

That actor also claimed to have intimate video clips with Tom Cruise.

Tom took legal action against him for spreading a false story. Proving the story was completely made up, the court sided with Tom Cruise and he was awarded a settlement of $10 million.