Overview

• The Full Court cut short a hearing slated to run to Friday and reserved its judgment on Lehrmann’s bid to overturn his defamation loss to Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.
• Justices Michael Wigney and Craig Colvin repeatedly questioned the logic of Lehrmann’s arguments and refused two adjournment requests from his solicitor, Zali Burrows.
• Burrows argued Lehrmann was denied natural justice because Justice Michael Lee’s findings differed from Ten’s pleaded case, a contention the bench and opposing counsel challenged.
• Lehrmann was represented only by his solicitor, who told the court he could not afford his preferred barrister and conceded she was less prepared than opposing senior counsel.
• Ten and Wilkinson urged the court to uphold the truth finding, pressed for an even stronger conclusion on knowledge of lack of consent, and advanced Wilkinson’s qualified privilege defence, while Lehrmann also contests Lee’s indication of only $20,000 in potential damages.