Three high-profile cases from last year, involving Ben Roberts-Smith, Lisa Wilkinson, and Shane Drumgold, returned to court this week as the individuals sought vindication. Roberts-Smith challenged previous findings against him, Wilkinson sought legal fee payment from Network Ten, and Drumgold resigned after a criminal trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct.
Three of the biggest cases of last year were back in court this week for blockbuster sequels that prove the only sure winners on the legal system’s merry-go-round are lawyers.
Crucially, it emerged that the network’s lawyers had approved Wilkinson’s Logies speech praising the courage of Higgins – after which the criminal trial of Lehrmann was aborted. When Ten ignored the presenter’s pleas to reveal that publicly at the time, Wilkinson said she felt abandoned.Even before Lehrmann v Ten started in November, Wilkinson’s legal team – headed by Sue Chrysanthou, SC – had racked up more than $700,000 in costs. The figure would now be well over $1 million.
Walker relied on a report compiled soon after the mission to suggest there was no “cogency” in the finding of Justice Anthony Besanko that Roberts-Smith unjustifiably shot one man and ordered a junior soldier to shoot the other. It lasted 120 days and remains the longest case in the history of the Federal Court. Stokes’s C7 lost.is the second-longest at 110 days. The appeal, at 10 days, also runs second to the C7 appeal which took 13 days – and was dismissed.Roberts-Smith has always denied being involved in any unlawful killings and has not been criminally charged.The trial itself cost an estimated $25 million in legal fees, and the appeal will add an estimated $5 million to the bill.
Court Blockbuster Sequels Lawyers Victoria Cross Ben Roberts-Smith Lisa Wilkinson Shane Drumgold Vindication Full Federal Court Bret Walker SC Network Ten Legal Fees Co-Defendant Walter Sofronoff Conduct Prosecuting Lehrmann Rape Brittany Higgins Criminal Trial Juror Misconduct
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