Network Ten has won $2 million in costs against Bruce Lehrmann in his failed defamation case over the broadcaster’s coverage of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations, after agreeing to a substantial haircut on its $3.7 million legal bill.
Sydney barrister Gina Edwards has been awarded part of her costs in an indemnity basis after securing $150,000 in damages in her defamation case over Channel Nine’s coverage of her battle for custody of famed social media pooch Oscar the cavoodle.
Journalist Lisa Wilkinson has filed a notice of contention in Bruce Lehrmann’s appeal of a judgment that found he raped colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, claiming Lehrmann wasn’t just indifferent to his victim’s state of mind but knew she did not consent.
The former headmaster of exclusive Sydney school Cranbrook has settled a dispute with his former employer after it admitted a public statement concerning his management of misconduct allegations against a teacher “may have caused confusion”, but will press on with a complaint against the ABC over the Four Corners episode that sparked the controversy.
Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto has settled two defamation lawsuits by organisers of the ‘Let Women Speak Rally’ and apologised for conflating them with neo-Nazis who crashed the event, saying his comments “could have more clearly differentiated between the groups”.
Network Ten has largely succeeded in its bid for indemnity costs against Bruce Lehrmann for his failed defamation case over allegations he raped former colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, allegations the broadcaster proved at trial were true.
Mehreen Faruqi wants to reopen a racial discrimination trial to rebut evidence by One Nation senator Pauline Hanson that she didn’t know the deputy Greens leader was Muslim when she wrote in a tweet that the senator should “piss off back to Pakistan”.
Bruce Lehrmann had no behind-the-scenes financial backer for his failed and costly defamation case against Network Ten but had entered a no win, no fee arrangement with his solicitors, a court has heard.
The judge overseeing Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation case against Network Ten has slammed as misleading comments that his judgment vindicated the broadcaster, and questioned whether the remarks disentitled it to maximum defence costs.
Bruce Lehrmann has been given extra time to file any appeal of a ruling he raped colleague Brittany Higgins but in the meantime the former political staffer must hand over information on who funded his defamation case against Network Ten, which is likely to see him on the hook for millions of dollars in costs.