Wilkinson may be left with a $1 million bill
Project host Lisa Wilkinson may end up having to pay the more than $1m legal bill for her defence in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case.
Wilkinson hired $8000-aday barrister Sue Chrysanthou to defend her in the high-profile defamation action brought against her and her employer Network 10.
She then filed a successful cross claim for Network 10 to pick up her legal fees that are estimated to have topped more than $1m after losing faith that Ten’s lawyers would represent her interests.
“That was my primary concern and it was becoming increasingly obvious to me that my concerns were different to Network 10’s,” she told the court.
Justice Michael Lee said Wilkinson had not “acted unthinkingly” in hiring her own legal team and “it was reasonable” for her to do so.
The claim meant Ten would pick up Wilkinson’s legal fees if Lehrmann succeeded in his defamation action and costs were awarded against them.
However, on Monday Justice Lee upheld Network 10’s truth defence that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins and is expected to rule on who will pay costs and how much in coming weeks.
Justice Lee said during the cross claim that Lehrmann losing would mean “no doubt there will be an application that Mr Lehrmann pay the costs of the respondents”.
A legal source told News Corp that the ruling meant Ten was not responsible for picking up Wilkinson’s legal fees in the first instance.
“She will have to try and claim her costs from Lehrmann and exhaust all other avenues before trying to get the money from Ten,” the source said.
Lehrmann, who yesterday took refuge in Gosford police station to avoid following media, is not believed to have anywhere near enough cash to cover the estimated $10m total legal fees for the case.
He yesterday pulled out of speaking at a $100-a-head “Restoring the Presumption of Innocence” conference hosted by author Bettina Arndt. She has denied speculation that she has been one of his financial backers.
Sources close to Wilkinson’s legal team said they still expected Ten to pick up the bill but both they and Ten declined to comment formally.
Even if Wilkinson does manage to get her costs covered it is unlikely to be the full amount. Cost orders normally only amount to 60 or 70 cents in the dollar leaving the Project presenter up to $400,000 out of pocket.