Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial: Channel Ten has ‘zero interest’ in bringing back Lisa Wilkinson despite court victory

Lisa Wilkinson may have been vindicated after winning the defamation case brought against her by Bruce Lehrmann, but she won’t be making a triumphant return to Channel Ten anytime soon.

The former presenter of The Project reportedly received ‘zero interest’ when she asked to be interviewed on Ten’s flagship current affairs show after Judge Michael Lee handed down his sentence last Monday.

Judge Lee’s finding that Mr Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019 was a victory for Network Ten and Wilkinson’s truth defense – even though The Project’s claims of a ‘political cover-up’ were found to have been unfounded.

Ten described the result as a ‘triumph of truth’. Wilkinson, who had sought separate legal advice because she did not trust the network to act in her best interests, told the press outside court: “Today the Federal Court has found that I published a true story about a rape in a federal court. minister’s office in March 2019.’

But Ten and Wilkinson’s shared victory did little to thaw the ice.

A source said news.com.au the outcome did not clear the way for Wilkinson to return to her role as a presenter on The Project or appear as a guest to discuss the verdict.

“Lisa thought she could just get back on the air… after burning everyone on that show. It’s so far removed from reality that it’s not funny,” a network insider told the outlet.

The insider claimed Wilkinson had displayed a ‘me, me, me’ attitude outside the courtroom, which was reflected by not naming Ms Higgins.

It is understood that network staff were hurt by Wilkinson’s testimony at the trial, which appeared to place responsibility for the production of the Higgins story on other members of the Project team.

‘Lisa took all the credit for the Brittany Higgins story during her speech at the Logies [in 2022]’, performed a backflip in court and threw her colleagues under the bus, claiming she was nothing more than a teleprompter, before another stunning backflip on the courthouse steps once again claimed credit for the story,’ according to the source.

Network executives would say so wants “nothing” to do with Wilkinson, who is still paid an estimated salary of $1.7 million until her contract expires in December.

“She burned everyone,” the source said. “She’ll never come back.”

Relations between Wilkinson and the network deteriorated after she retained her own legal adviser, Sue Chrysanthou SC, to represent her in the case rather than using Channel Ten’s lawyers.

The network argued in the middle of the trial that it was not necessary for Wilkinson to hire her own legal counsel, claiming that her case would be a duplicate of the network’s case and that it was therefore not necessary for her to hire Ms. Chrysanthou to employ.

Ultimately, Judge Lee ordered Ten to cover Wilkinson’s legal costs, but only in relation to her civil case against her employer.

The veteran broadcaster and network also found themselves at odds following Wilkinson’s now infamous speech at the Logies in June 2022.

The court heard during the trial that Wilkinson was devastated by the fallout that followed the speech, as she was personally accused of derailing Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial.

The court heard Network Ten chief executive Beverley McGarvey approved the speech, along with head of public relations and senior litigator Tasha Smithies.

“But I was the one accused of derailing the rape case,” Wilkinson told the court.

‘I was portrayed as legally irresponsible. “I had taken significant steps to ensure the speech was legally sound before I even got near that stage.”

After Mr Lehrmann’s rape trial was moved from June to October 2022 as a result of the speech, Ten issued a statement: ‘Both Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson take their legal obligations very seriously, including in the preparation and performance of her speech at the conference. Accommodation event.’

Wilkinson told the court: ‘What was missing from Ten’s public statements was that they approved that speech at the highest level.’

‘The conclusion was that the media believed that I had gotten on that stage and delivered a speech from memory without any regard for legal proceedings.

“That was wrong and I was blamed for making that speech and all the blame fell on me.”

She was shocked and confused that her employer refused to publicly explain the advice she received.

In his judgment, Judge Lee singled out Network Ten’s lead litigator, Ms Smithies, for the advice she gave Wilkinson before giving the Logies speech, noting it ‘defied common sense’.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Wilkinson’s management for comment.