Lisa Wilkinson has secured $1.15million from Channel 10 for legal costs she incurred after Bruce Lehrmann launched defamation proceedings against her and the network.
The Federal Court confirmed the payment on Monday night, with the order stating that Network Ten and Wilkinson had reached an agreement.
‘The total amount payable by Network Ten to Ms Wilkinson in respect of the indemnity for her costs incurred in the proceeding against her by Mr Lehrmann is $1,150,000.00,’the order stated.
‘Network Ten has paid Ms Wilkinson the amount of $558,548.30 in respect of the indemnity owed by Network Ten to Ms Wilkinson in respect of her costs incurred in the proceeding against her by Mr Lehrmann.
‘The due date for payment by Network Ten to Lisa Wilkinson of the remaining amount of $591,451.70 is 19 March 2025.’
The network spent an estimated $3million defending the case taken by Wilkinson, meaning its overall costs are likely to exceed $4million, news.com.au reported.
Lehrmann lost his defamation case against Channel 10 and Wilkinson last year when a judge found, on the balance of probabilities, that he had raped fellow Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in March 2019.
In February last year, the Federal Court ruled that Network 10 had to pay Wilkinson’s ‘reasonable’ legal bills.
But then emerged a $1.2million discrepancy between what Wilkinson spent and the amount Network Ten would pay.
Wilkinson wanted $1.8million and Ten had offered $600,000.
Legal sources were confident at the time that Network 10 would be required to pay more.
Wilkinson’s decision to engage separate legal counsel from Ten during the case caused huge tension between the two parties.
She hired Gillis Delaney Lawyers, which charges $750 per hour, along with well known defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC.
Ten’s lawyer Matt Collins KC had argued the network not required to pay Wilkinson for costs incurred ‘in an unnecessarily duplicative or wasteful manner’.
‘Ms Wilkinson was not entitled to incur costs … as she pleased on the assumption that Network Ten would ultimately pick up the bill,’ he wrote.
‘She was required to incur costs in a responsible manner, having regard to how those costs might be minimised given the separate but related work being undertaken by Network Ten.’
But Wilkinson said the network not covering her legal expenses ‘cruel’ and ‘disingenuous’.
She said she needed her own lawyers in the defamation suit after she lost faith in Ten’s legal team, which she felt had ‘abandoned’ her.
Just over a year ago, Justice Michael Lee ruled that ‘In all circumstances it was reasonable for Ms Wilkinson to retain separate lawyers.’
But he also anticipated that there was more wrangling to come, saying that ‘And accordingly, the question becomes where do we go from there.’
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 doesn’t want the costs battle between Wilkinson and Network Ten ‘dragging out any longer’.
‘I wanted to deal with this today,’ Justice Lee said.
‘I want to ensure I conclude my involvement with this matter if at all possible.’
‘I really want this advent to bring it to an end, I don’t want 2025 to see my involvement with it unless it is necessary I be involved.
‘I’m not dragging this out any longer.’
Justice Lee later agreed to adjourn the case until February.
Lehrmann is due to return to court in August for his appeal against Justice Lee’s findings against him.
The costs order against him has been delayed until the appeal concludes.