- Community Ten and Lisa Wilkinson struck a deal
- She had billed Ten for $1.8million
Community Ten will solely pay Lisa Wilkinson about $558,000 of her $1.8million authorized invoice, a court docket has heard.
The settlement was revealed throughout a case administration listening to within the Federal Court docket on Thursday referring to prices in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case towards the community and Wilkinson.
Wilkinson employed her personal authorized crew to defend her within the defamation motion, quite than utilizing Ten’s attorneys, after which gained a bid to have her employer cowl these charges.
Her agency of selection was Gillis Delaney Attorneys, the place the supervising associate costs $750 per hour, and high defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, who costs $8,000 per day.
She initially hit Ten with a $1.8million invoice, however the court docket heard on Thursday that Wilkinson had accepted a proposal by the community to pay a fraction of that value.
The court docket additionally heard Ten racked up its personal $3.6million invoice working the defamation case with barrister Matthew Collins KC, who costs $11,000 per day.
Nonetheless, the community has solely requested Lehrmann to pay $2million.
Lisa Wilkinson initially billed Community Ten $1.8million over the defamation trial
Prices will likely be decided by an unbiased referee, who will then hand their findings to the choose.
The community initially supplied to pay $607,850 to Wilkinson, however following a evaluation that quantity was discovered to be ‘over beneficiant’.
Ten’s barrister Zoe Graus instructed Justice Lee that if an exterior referee decided Wilkinson’s prices had been lower than the agreed $558,548, she must pay the community again.
‘Your Honour will see that the order under is that ought to the referee decide the quantity is much less, that Ms Wilkinson would repay it to us,’ Ms Graus mentioned.
‘We’re not prepared to decide to a judgment sum of that quantity right this moment.’
Lehrmann’s lawyer, Paul Svilans, mentioned his shopper ‘neither consents nor opposes’ the order.
Justice Lee mentioned it was broadly accepted that Lehrmann was a ‘man of modest means’ and was unlikely to have the funds to pay the invoice.
Bruce Lehrmann misplaced the trial and has now been hit with a $2million authorized invoice
Lehrmann suffered an enormous authorized loss towards Ten and Wilkinson in April when Justice Lee discovered, on a steadiness of chances, that he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament Home in March 2019.
He had sued for defamation over a February 2021 episode of The Undertaking, throughout which Ms Higgins aired her rape claims for the primary time in an interview with Wilkinson.
The previous Liberal staffer, who had denied the assault claims, wasn’t named within the broadcast however claimed buddies and colleagues had been in a position to determine him as Ms Higgins’ rapist.
Because the loser of the trial, Lehrmann is anticipated to cough up 90 per cent of Ten and Wilkinson’s prices for the profitable reality defence, and 70 per cent of the prices related to working the failed certified privilege defence.
The previous staffer is an unemployed legislation scholar who has not had a job since 2021, and could possibly be pressured to file for chapter.
If Lehrmann goes bankrupt and the payments are unpaid, Community Ten should cowl its personal prices, and Wilkinson’s cheap prices.
