Australian author and blogger Belle Gibson faces a possible government lawsuit after admitting that she lied about beating a normally deadly brain tumour through healthy eating and natural therapies, officials have said.
The 24-year-old social media entrepreneur and author of The Whole Pantry, a cookbook that detailed her purportedly life-saving diet, admitted a year ago that she had never been diagnosed with cancer.
Consumer Affairs Victoria, a state government watchdog, said in a statement it has applied to the Australian Federal Court to sue Ms Gibson and her company, Inkerman Road Nominees, for false and misleading conduct.
The court is to hear the application on May 24.
The maximum penalty is $220,000AUD for an individual and $1.1mAUD for a company.