TikTok influencer Amelia Findlay has been ordered to pay $20,000 in damages for defaming University of Sydney student Bearte McDonald.
The case stemmed from a video Findlay posted in November 2024, in which she identified McDonald and other students involved in an incident at a Student Representative Council (SRC) meeting.
During the meeting, male students were filmed tearing up a report on sexual violence in the university’s colleges.
The Red Zone Report, which documented incidents like male students ejaculating into female students’ shampoo and an event called “The Purge,” highlighted disturbing behaviour in the university’s colleges.
@australiancommunitymedia The University of Sydney has launched an immediate investigation after Liberal students tore up a report into rape, harassment and hazing during an SRC meeting. #USyd The Students Representative Council meeting was held on October 30, 2024, and saw elected Liberal student councillors and members of the campus Conservative Club ripped up copies of the Red Zone Report on the rape and sexual violence epidemic at the colleges. #redzonereport #hazing #universityofsydney #politics #youth #auspol ♬ original sound – Australian Community Media
In her video, Findlay called McDonald’s actions “hilarious,” referring to her as someone who “finds rape and assault hilarious” and mocked her involvement in tearing up the report.
McDonald, with the help of defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou, filed a lawsuit against Findlay, seeking the removal of the video. The video gained significant attention, with nearly 300,000 views and 2 million likes before being deleted.
Findlay did not file a defence, and the defamation case was settled by consent. On February 12, Justice Nicholas Owens ruled that Findlay must pay $20,000 in damages plus legal costs.
The University of Sydney and the Liberal Party condemned the incident, with Vice Chancellor Mark Scott affirming support for the Red Zone Report. McDonald was suspended from the Liberal Party for six months.
The student newspaper Honi Soit also issued an apology to McDonald in December after receiving a legal threat similar to Findlay’s.
