Michael Elliott

Former Network Ten Lisa Wilkinson in seeking $1.8 million in costs in Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation case over an episode of The Project that aired Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations.

The majority shareholders of vitamin giant Nature’s Care have been hit with the costs of the company’s failed bid for an injunction against its founding family, after a judge found the shareholders appear to have caused proceedings to be commenced as part of a strategy to “override the rights” of the family. 

Newly released emails show a prominent silk describing Brittany Higgins’ refusal to assist Lisa Wilkinson’s barrister Sue Chrysanthou as “at the least unwise”, amid a dispute over the TV presenter’s decision to hire her own legal team in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case. 

A judge has found that Lisa Wilkinson acted reasonably in ditching Network Ten’s legal team in a defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann, noting the “distrust” between the presenter and her former employer as well as other matters, including a retainer Ten’s solicitors had with The Australian newspaper. 

The Project presenter Lisa Wilkinson has told a court that she begged Network Ten to admit its role in a controversial Logies speech for which she faced criticism in the media, as she pushes to have the network cover her costs in defamation proceedings brought by Bruce Lehrmann.

A senior lawyer at Network Ten has told the court she was not embarrassed by legal advice given to Lisa Wilkinson in relation to her controversial Logies speech and denied she was “utterly ill-equipped” to play a role in Wilkinson’s defence, amid a stoush between the network and the presenter over her legal bill in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case. 

A judge has thrown out a former Norton Rose Fulbright digital marketing manager’s claims that she was sacked for making complaints about bullying, finding a partner who was appointed to investigate her claims of bullying was not involved in the decision to terminate her employment.

Atanaskovic Hartnell was not hard done by in a judgment that ordered payment of entitlements to a former general manager and rejected its cross-claims against the woman, an appeals court has been told. The law firm was just unhappy with the decision.

The judge who awarded more than $320,000 to a former general manager of Atanaskovic Hartnell after finding she endured a “campaign of denigration” by the law firm’s founder fundamentally failed to discharge his judicial function, an appeals court has heard.

Pitcher Partners has lost its appeal of a decision that refused to stay a lawsuit over the accounting firm’s alleged involvement in race car driver Max Twigg’s misappropriation of $127 million from his family.