Taylor Auerbach files legal action against Seven
The former Spotlight producer’s claim centres on allegations Seven made comments breaching a confidential deed of settlement signed shortly after his departure from the company.
Taylor Auerbach, the former Spotlight producer whose last-minute evidence disrupted Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial, has filed legal action against Seven.
Auerbach has engaged defamation law firm Giles George to lodge proceedings against the network in the Federal Court.
The Australian understands a statement of claim filed by Auerbach centres on allegations Seven breached a confidential deed of settlement signed shortly after his departure from the company in 2023, and relates to public statements the network made about Auerbach.
The deed included a non-disparagement clause.
Seven has not yet filed a defence, and has been contacted for comment.
The matter was filed exactly one year after news.com.au published an article detailing the actions of an unnamed Spotlight employee – later revealed to be Auerbach – who had used a corporate card to buy Mr Lehrmann a Thai massage. At the time, the Spotlight team were attempting to woo Mr Lehrmann into a tell-all interview.
Auerbach was sacked from his job as an investigations producer at Sky News about two days after the article was published.
After the massage revelations emerged, Auerbach signed affidavits in Mr Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network 10 and presenter Lisa Wilkinson, claiming Seven gave the former Liberal staffer a range of expensive perks to sign over his exclusive interview rights.
Federal Court judge Michael Lee had reserved his judgment, but reopened the case in April last year to hear Auerbach’s evidence.
Auerbach claimed Mr Lehrmann wanted accommodation with a jacuzzi as part of his negotiations with Seven. He said the network covered the costs of Mr Lehrmann’s prostitutes, illicit drugs, a round of golf and a $361 Tomahawk steak.
Auerbach told the court he witnessed Mr Lehrmann order a bag of cocaine while at Potts Point restaurant Franca in January 2023, which he later took back to a hotel room Seven was paying for.
“Mr Lehrmann had over dinner purchased a bag of cocaine while we were dining at Franca, and when we got upstairs to the room, he pulled that out and started to put it on a plate,” Auerbach told the court.
“Then he started talking to me about a prospective Spotlight story and his desire to order prostitutes to the Meriton that night, and began Googling a series of websites to try and make that happen.”
A Seven spokesman at the time said the network had “acted appropriately at all times” and “did not reimburse Bruce Lehrmann for expenditure that has allegedly been used to pay for illegal drugs or prostitutes, and has never done so,” the spokesman said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Auerbach founded a media relations company called Bubbles Media, where he has been working since September 2023.
He is also a full time law student.
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