Officials say Australian author and blogger Belle Gibson faces a possible government lawsuit after admitting that she lied about beating a normally deadly brain tumor through healthy eating and natural therapies.

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 Friday it has applied to the Australian Federal Court to sue 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 220,000 Australian dollars ($160,000) for an individual and AU$1.1 million for a company.