Lisa Wilkinson wore a smile of a million dollars after she had learned that ten legal costs she made when Bruce Lehrmann took defamant action against her and the network.
The television journalist was depicted on Tuesday on one of her favorite Sydney Cafes, laughing on the phone and looking through her notebook klading after her win from the federal court.
The long -term dispute between ten and Wilkinson ended with the network that agreed to pay $ 1.15 million to cover her costs for defending the Lehrmann campaign.
On Monday afternoon, the federal court approved that amount good after months of disagreement about exactly how much ten Wilkinson would have to pay for maintaining a separate legal representation.
The figure was far below the first $ 1.8 million Wilkinson, said she was forced to successfully defend the case.
In 2023, Justice Michael Lee supervised a fiercely disputed convenient process by Lehrmann during a report of February 2021 on the project where Brittany Higgins claimed that he had sexually abused her in parliament house almost two years earlier.
In April the judge rejected the case, finding Lehrmann was not taxed and, on the basis of probabilities, Mrs. Higgins's statements that he raped in the office of their then Boss Linda Reynolds were considerably true.
With Justice Lee who ordered Lehrmann to pay $ 2 million in legal costs at ten in June, there was still questions about what Wilkinson owed.
Lisa Wilkinson wore a smile of a million dollars after she had learned that ten legal costs would make it when Bruce Lehrmann took defamation against her and the network
The television journalist was depicted on Tuesday on one of her favorite Sydney cafes, laughing on the phone and watching her notebook clay
Ten previously told the court that it had spent $ 3.7 million to defend Lehrmann's lawsuit.
While an external referee was appointed to determine how much of Wilkinson's legal account was reasonable, ten finally agreed with the $ 1.15 million figure before his report was eliminated during a substantial hearing.
The network has already paid Wilkinson $ 558,000 and will have to pay the rest of $ 1.15 million before March 19.
How much of this will be owed by a cash-strapped Lehrmann on the point of bankruptcy still has to be determined.
Tien and Wilkinson will return for Justice Lee on 11 March to discuss who pays the costs that are thrown away by hiring the referee.
Lehrmann has appealed against his loss loss in the entire federal court with a plan to be planned.
The defamation came after a criminal case with which Lehrmann was confronted in 2022 was abandoned for jury member without findings against him.
Wilkinson's decision to involve a separate legal adviser of her then employer during the case caused enormous tension between the two parties.
The long -term dispute between ten and Wilkinson ended with the network that agreed to pay $ 1.15 million to cover its costs for defending the Lehrmann action
Lisa Wilkinson (right) engaged a separate legal adviser during the case. She is depicted with lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC (left)
She hired the lawyers from Gillis Delaney, who charge $ 750 per hour, together with the well -known defamer Sue Chrysanthou sc.
The lawyer of ten, Matt Collins KC, had argued that the network was not obliged to pay Wilkinson for costs 'in an unnecessary duplicative or wasteful way'.
“Mrs. Wilkinson was not entitled to the costs … Because she liked it under the assumption that Network would eventually pick up the bill,” he wrote.
“She was obliged to incur the costs in a responsible manner, taking into account how those costs could be minimized in view of the individual but related work performed by Network.”
The network has already paid Wilkinson $ 558,000 and will have to pay the rest of $ 1.15 million before March 19. Wilkinson will be depicted on Tuesday
Wilkinson is married to columnist and author Peter Fitzsimons who is depicted outside the cafe on Tuesday
But Wilkinson said that the network does not “cruel” its legal costs and “unfairly”.
She said she needed her own lawyers in the slander after she had lost the confidence in the legal team of Ten, which she felt she had 'left'.
Just over a year ago, Justice Michael Lee ruled that it was reasonable for Mrs. Wilkinson in all circumstances to keep individual lawyers. '
But he also expected that more arguing came.
“And accordingly, the question of where we are going from there,” he noticed.
It would take 12 months before Wilkinson and Network 10 would reach an agreement.
It comes after Justice Lee told the federal court in December that he does not want the costs between Wilkinson And network ten “drag even longer”.
“I wanted to deal with this today,” said Justice Lee.
“I want to ensure that I conclude my involvement in this issue if I am possible at all.”
On Monday afternoon, the federal court approved the payment after months of disagreement about exactly how much ten Wilkinson would have to pay for maintaining individual legal representation
How much of the money Tien has to pay Wilkinson, which is then reimbursed by a money with cash that Bruce Lehrmann still has to be determined
'I really want this arrival to put an end to it, I don't want 2025 to see my involvement, unless it is necessary, I am involved.
“I no longer drag this out.”
Justice Lee later agreed to postpone the case until February.
Lehrmann will return to the court in August for his appeal against the findings of Justice Lee against him.
The cost order against him is delayed until the profession is completed.
