Lisa Wilkinson is suing Network 10 for failing to pay her $370,000 bill intended to cover legal fees related to the defamation lawsuit against Bruce Lehrmann.
The former Project host hired defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC and Gillis Delaney Lawyers partner Anthony Jefferies earlier this year, rather than using Thomson Geer – the law firm whose network is hired.
She asked her own legal team to defend her after Mr. Lehrmann sued her over the Logie Award-winning interview she did with Brittany Higgins in 2021.
During that interview, Ms Higgins was raped by a former Parliament colleague in 2019. Mr Lehrmann was not named, but claims people in political circles were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
He has always maintained his innocence.
Wilkinson’s legal team claims that in March and June this year the network accepted that it was required to compensate the TV star even though she was “independently represented”.
Wilkinson is understood to still be employed by Channel 10, although she has not appeared on television for the channel since last November.
Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) is suing Network 10 for allegedly failing to pay her $370,000 bill intended to cover legal costs in the defamation lawsuit against Bruce Lehrmann.
The network had initially asked to pay Wilkinson’s legal costs in bulk at the end of the trial to allow it to add any costs incurred in favor of Mr. Lehrmann, according to court documents acquired by the Today’s telegraph.
However, Wilkinson’s lawyers said this was unreasonable because it would leave her paying for her own defense until she was reimbursed.
She sent the network a bill for $375,728.63 in May, but her employer wouldn’t pay.
Their lawyers claimed “substantial and unnecessary work had been undertaken” in their first review of Wilkinson’s invoices.
His lawyers said the “unnecessary work” had not been identified.
More soon
