Lisa Wilkinson may have been vindicated after winning the defamation case brought against her by Bruce Lehrmann, but she won’t be making a triumphant return to Channel Ten any time soon.
The former The Project presenter reportedly received “zero interest” when she asked to be interviewed on Ten’s flagship current affairs program after Judge Michael Lee handed down his verdict last Monday.
Judge Lee’s finding that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament in 2019 was a victory for Network Ten and Wilkinson’s truth defense, despite The Project’s claims of a “political cover-up” being found They were unfounded.
Diez described the result as a “triumph of truth.” Wilkinson, who had sought independent legal advice because he did not trust the network to act in his best interests, told reporters outside court: “Today, the Federal Court has determined that I published a true story about rape in federal court.” . minister’s office in March 2019.
But Ten and Wilkinson’s shared victory has done little to melt the ice.
A source said news.com.au The outcome has not paved the way for Wilkinson to return to her hosting role on The Project or appear as a guest to discuss the verdict.
‘Lisa thought she could get back on the air… after burning everyone on that show. “She’s so far from reality it’s not funny,” a network insider told the outlet.
Lisa Wilkinson may have been vindicated after winning the defamation case brought against her by Bruce Lehrmann, but she won’t be making a triumphant return to Ten anytime soon.
The source claimed Wilkinson had displayed a “me, me, me” attitude outside the courtroom, demonstrated by not mentioning Ms Higgins.
It is understood that staff at the network were hurt by Wilkinson’s testimony at the trial, which appeared to hold other members of The Project team responsible for the production of Higgins’ story.
‘Lisa claimed full credit for Brittany Higgins’ story during her speech at Logies. [in 2022]”She did a backflip in court and threw her colleagues under the bus claiming she was nothing more than an autocue reader, before another impressive backflip on the courthouse steps again claiming credit for the story,” he said. the fountain.
Network executives are said to He wants “nothing” to do with Wilkinson, who continues to be paid an estimated $1.7 million in salary until his contract expires in December.
“She has burned everyone,” the source said. “She will never come back.”
It is understood that staff at the network were hurt by Wilkinson’s testimony at the trial, which appeared to hold other members of The Project team responsible for the production of Higgins’ story.
Relations between Wilkinson and the network deteriorated after she hired her own legal adviser, Sue Chrysanthou SC, to represent her in the case rather than using Channel Ten’s lawyers.
The network argued mid-trial that it was not necessary for Wilkinson to hire her own legal counsel, claiming that her case would be a duplicate of the network’s case and that it was therefore unnecessary for her to hire Ms. Chrysanthou.
Ultimately, Judge Lee ordered Ten to cover Wilkinson’s legal fees, but only in relation to his civil case against his employer.
The veteran broadcaster and network were also at odds after Wilkinson’s now infamous speech at Logies in June 2022.
The court heard during the trial that Wilkinson was devastated by the fallout after the speech because she was personally accused of derailing Mr. Lehrmann’s criminal trial.
The court heard Network Ten chief executive Beverley McGarvey approved the speech, along with head of public relations and senior litigator Tasha Smithies.
“But I was the one accused of derailing the rape case,” Wilkinson told the court.
“They were portraying me as legally irresponsible. I had taken significant steps to ensure that the speech was legally responsible before approaching that stage.
After Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial was moved from June to October 2022 as a result of the speech, Ten issued a statement: “Both Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson take their legal obligations very seriously, including in the preparation and pronunciation of his speech given at the Logics Event.’
Relations between Wilkinson and the network deteriorated after she hired her own legal adviser, Sue Chrysanthou SC (left), to represent her in the case rather than using Ten’s lawyers.
The veteran broadcaster and network were also at odds after Wilkinson’s now infamous speech at Logies in June 2022.
Wilkinson told the court: “What was missing from Ten’s public statements was their approval of that speech at the highest levels.”
“The bottom line was that the media believed I had gotten up on that stage and given a speech without thinking about legal procedures.
“That was wrong and they blamed me for giving that speech and all the blame was on me.”
She was surprised and confused because her employer refused to publicly detail the advice she received.
In his judgment, Judge Lee singled out Network Ten’s lead trial lawyer, Ms Smithies, for the advice she gave Wilkinson before delivering the Logies speech, observing that it “defied common sense”.
WhatsNew2Day Australia has contacted Wilkinson’s management for comment.