By Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Villa Biscaya, a pale pink Spanish mission-style mansion in Rose Bay, is the kind of rarefied place regular punters only get to ogle at on their TV screens.
Villa Biscaya is the subject of a Supreme Court stoush: in the eastern suburbs, few things go together better than trophy homes and expensive legal battles.
Indeed, the pristine villa, with its lush gardens, sweeping ocean views and 1000-bottle wine cellar, has been a feature in luxury ad campaigns and reality shows such as Married at First Sight and The Voice.
And now, in true eastern suburbs fashion, it’s the subject of a court dispute between the black sheep of a storied horse-racing dynasty and a hard-partying Aston Martin-driving investment banker.
In 2023, art dealer David Waterhouse, a long-estranged member of that famed racing clan (his sister-in-law is trainer Gai Waterhouse) sold the Tivoli Avenue property for $26 million to Michael Rothner, principal of real estate investment management firm AsheMorgan, whose glamorous life posing for photos with the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen, Tyra Banks and Cate Blanchett made him a favourite of the celebrity pages for a time.
Then the trouble started. Rothner is living in the property, but settlement isn’t yet concluded. Last year, Waterhouse commenced legal proceedings against Rothner, accusing his ex-wife Lisa of cutting down trees on the neighbouring property, and seeking damages. Both Rothners say they have nothing to do with the missing trees.
Meanwhile, Rothner is countersuing, claiming damages for Waterhouse’s alleged refusal to sign off on development applications which has delayed his ability to commence renovations.
To complicate matters further, a separate dispute with the neighbours over development approvals to replace a garage on the property was recently heard before the Land and Environment Court, with the judgment due imminently.
Meanwhile, there’s been some relief for Rothner, with Waterhouse agreeing to his latest renovation plan. A $3.2 million application to demolish the cabana and build a new swimming pool and wellness pavilion lobbed before Woollahra Council earlier this month.
His dispute with Waterhouse remains listed for a directions hearing before Justice Ian Pike in the Supreme Court next week.
Both parties are silked up to the gills, with Waterhouse represented by Francis Douglas, KC, and Stuart Lawrance, SC, acting for Rothner. Proof once again that in the eastern suburbs, few things go together better than trophy homes and expensive legal battles.
New job, who dis?
David Sharaz has a new baby, a new city and a new job.
The ex-journalist and his wife, former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, have set up home in Melbourne and earlier this month shared on social media that they have welcomed a baby boy into the world, name undisclosed.
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz married last year.Credit: Instagram
But wait, there’s more. Sharaz, 33, a former journalist for SBS and Sky News and senior media adviser in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, has secured himself a new comms job for an independent agency.
The couple have never been far from the media spotlight after Higgins went public in 2021 with an allegation she was raped in Parliament House, prompting a messy political controversy for the ages, which damaged the Coalition Morrison government and led to an aborted criminal trial, two defamation cases, years of media scrutiny, and social media abuse.
Despite the intense gaze, Sharaz managed to keep secret that he had joined the specialist climate, finance and tech PR agency Third Hemisphere as a director. Until now.
This is despite the fact he represented the agency several weeks ago in Sydney at the net zero Impact X Summit, which went unnoticed, despite Sharaz at the time being warmly embraced by federal Labor MP Josh Burns on a Sydney street. Third Hemisphere was founded by Hannah Moreno, an advocate against sexual assault and domestic violence. She is the agency’s chief executive, while her husband Jeremy Liddle is managing director.
The Sydney firm is expanding its presence in Melbourne, where Sharaz will work as a director with a brief to boost the agency’s political media engagement.
The birth of Higgins and Sharaz’s son caps a tumultuous period for the couple. Last year Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found on the balance of probabilities that fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann had raped Higgins in Parliament House in 2019, dismissing a defamation case Lehrmann brought against the Ten Network. Lehrmann has appealed that decision.
Sharaz and Higgins have listed their French home for sale to cover the legal costs of defending defamation action brought against Higgins by her former boss, ex-minister Linda Reynolds, in the West Australian Supreme Court.
They bought the home in rural France after Higgins settled a civil claim against the Commonwealth for $2.4 million. She later said she received about $1.9 million after legal fees and taxes.
Lyons’ den
The ABC’s top journos will be freshening up their CVs as one of the most sought-after jobs in media, global affairs editor, is up for grabs.
A job listing was posted on Tuesday, as Aunty rolled out one of its most respected figures, former Sydney Morning Herald editor John Lyons, as its new Americas editor.
Lyons is moving to Washington for the three-year posting, replacing bureau chief Jade Macmillan (with a handy job title upgrade).
Lyons moves on from several years in his jet-setting position of global affairs editor, a role created specifically for him, which has largely focused on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. He was the 2024 Kennedy Awards Journalist of the Year for his commentary on both subjects.
Yet both conflicts are, to some extent, now at the will of Trump and what happens in DC, and thus, Aunty has seconded Lyons there to continue his work, as the Washington bureau chief.
As to who replaces Lyons as global affairs editor, well, this being the ABC, it’s probably a toss-up between Patricia Karvelas and Patricia Karvelas.
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