Lisa Wilkinson has launched a verbal attack against her employer, Channel 10, over her legal fees, which are reportedly around $2 million.
The former TV personality opted to hire her own legal team to defend herself against Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case, and she also spent about $4 million on the network’s own case.
Tensions have been rising in the workplace for months now.
Matt Collins KC, the legal representative of Ten, argued that Lisa was not entitled to receive costs for her separate legal actions because she believed that the company would pay for them.
However, her lawyers claimed that the network’s submissions were unfairly aimed at reintroducing an issue that she won through a cross-claim.
Wilkinson threatened to sue the Ten Network last year after she informed it that she would seek a cross-claim regarding her legal fees.
The company initially agreed to indemnify her against any awards of costs or damages. But, a dispute emerged regarding the costs, which had already reached around $700,000 before the trial commenced.
The legal fees are expected to reach around $2 million with the company’s costs running to close to $4 million.
In February 2024, Justice Michael Lee of the Supreme Court ruled that Wilkinson’s decision to employ her own lawyers was reasonable, and she was able to win the case.
However, the judge noted that the dispute between the two parties was still ongoing.
The exact amount that Ten would have to pay was not revealed until after the case had been decided.
The network won the case through its truth defense, with Bruce Lehrmann being regarded as a rapist on the basis of probabilities. However, his ability to pay the legal fees is still up in the air.
During the trial, the court heard that Wilkinson was very emotional about her legal fees last year.
She noted that she feared that she might have to sell her Cremorne home to pay them.
Her boss, Ten’s CEO, Beverley McGarvey, said that she was “almost hysterical.”
The details of Wilkinson’s contentious battle with her lawyers were revealed in various emails and text messages.
The dispute over her decision to hire Sue Chrysanthou and her team of lawyers was detailed in the emails and texts.
According to documents released by the court, Wilkinson’s annual wardrobe allowance was initially $100,000.
It was then reduced to $40,000 after she was removed from The Project in November 2022.
In a briefing note that was prepared for Ten’s legal team, Ms. McGarvey described her June 7, 2023, phone call with the network star.
The call was reportedly very challenging for both parties. During the call, Wilkinson noted that she was worried about how she would pay the legal fees and also how she would sell her home to raise money for them. However, Ten’s chief executive officer later noted that the value of her home was a good indicator of her financial situation.
She noted that Wilkinson was earning a full salary and was living in a very expensive home. She hoped that her financial situation wasn’t as risky as it sounds. She then informed her manager, Nick, about the call.