Lisa Wilkinson’s $1 million legal bill for Lehrmann defamation case

Project host Lisa Wilkinson may end up having to pay the more than $1 million legal bill for her defence in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case.

Project host Lisa Wilkinson may end up having to pay the more than $1 million legal bill for her defence in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation case.

Wilkinson hired $8000-a-day 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.

Lawyer Sue Chrysanthou and journalist Lisa Wilkinson. Picture: Don Arnold/Getty Images

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 Lehrman pay the costs of the respondents.”

A legal source told The Daily Telegraph 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.

Bruce Lehrmann emerges from court on Monday. Picture: Don Arnold/Getty Images

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 former The Project presenter up to $400,000 out of pocket.

Wilkinson appeared on the steps of the Federal Court to personally claim victory for telling Higgins’ story despite Justice Lee throwing out a qualified privilege defence because of the poor journalism employed in getting it.

“Today the Federal Court has found that I published a true story about a rape in a federal minister’s office at Parliament House in March of 2019,” she told reporters on Monday.

But Justice Lee noted that during her evidence in the trial she downplayed her role and said her job was “to read the prepared script”.