Did Belle Gibson from Apple Cider Vinegar go to jail? Inside the real-life court case

Apple Cider Vinegar is the biggest thing on Netflix right now, a true story about a real woman called Belle Gibson who faked having cancer.

Towards the end of the show, text on the screen says: “In 2017, the Federal Court of Australia found Belle Gibson guilty of misleading and—.”

However, it cuts off and actress Belle says: “You know what? You can Google it.” So, what happened to her in real life? Did she go to jail?

Credit: 60 Minutes

So, did Belle Gibson go to jail?

No, the real Belle Gibson never went to jail, but there was a court case.

In May 2016, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) announced it was launching a civil case against Belle and her company following an investigation that she allegedly broke Australian consumer law. This is because she released her health app and cookbook based on false claims that she had cancer.

“The alleged contraventions relate to false claims by Ms Gibson and her company concerning her diagnosis with terminal brain cancer, her rejection of conventional cancer treatments in favour of natural remedies, and the donation of proceeds to various charities,” they said.

Then, in March 2017, the court determined that she did break consumer law by engaging in “misleading and deceptive conduct”, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The judge said she may have been under “some kind of delusion” that she had brain cancer and “may have had other psychological or psychiatric issues”.

She wasn’t actually prosecuted or convicted of a crime because it was a civil case, but she was given some hefty fines.

She was given some massive fines

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The fines were announced a few months later, in September 2017, which totalled to $410,000 Australian dollars (£207,000) for all her false charity promises.

This included:

• $90,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the sale of The Whole Pantry app
• $50,000 for failing to donate proceeds from the launch of The Whole Pantry app
• $30,000 for failing to donate proceeds from a 2014 Mother’s Day event
• $150,000 for false claims that she would make donations to the Schwartz family
• $90,000 for failing to donate other company profits

Publisher Penguin Australia also agreed to pay a $30,000 donation to the Victorian Consumer Law Fund after publishing her book without checking that her health claims were true.

Credit: Netflix

She didn’t repay them either

In May 2018, Belle still hadn’t paid any of the fines so the CAV launched further legal action, which continued until 2019.

She then appeared in court and said she was unable to repay her debt, which led to her home being raided by the Victorian Sheriff’s Office.

Her home was raided once again in 2021 to try and recoup her unpaid fines again, The Guardian reported. It’s not clear if she’s paid them now.

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Feature image by: Netflix