Network Ten has alleged the Seven Network paid Bruce Lehrmann hundreds of dollars for cocaine as "pre-production expenses" before he agreed to give an exclusive interview to its current affairs program Spotlight.
An invoice, presented to the Federal Court this morning, is part of the evidence provided by former Spotlight producer Taylor Auerbach, who has appeared as a witness for Ten.
Mr Auerbach told the court Seven was invoiced by Mr Lehrmann on January 14, 2023, for expenses he had incurred during negotiations with the program's producers.
Those negotiations, the court heard yesterday, included a boozy night in Sydney nine days earlier in which Mr Lehrmann purchased cocaine and engaged sex workers.
Mr Auerbach told the court that Mr Lehrmann had told him he needed to "replenish his bank account after the bender".
He said that was done through an invoice to Seven, which included $750 of pre-production expenses.
Mr Auerbach told the court he remembered the office in which he and Spotlight's unit manager categorised the costs as "pre-production expenses" so that they could be properly processed.
"That was the vaguest of categories we could chose without being deceptive or misleading," Mr Auerbach told the court.
He was asked by lawyers whether this was paid for by Seven.
"Yes," he told the court.
"Mr Lerhmann told me he received the funds," he said.
But while making his closing submissions today, Mr Lehrmann's lawyer Matthew Richardson queried the $750 price.
"Even the least worldly person in this room, which regrettably is probably me, would know that this is a stretch," Mr Richardson told the court.
The Seven Network issued a statement yesterday denying the allegations.
"Seven did not reimburse Bruce Lehrmann for expenditure that has allegedly been used to pay for illegal drugs or prostitutes, and has never done so," a spokesman said.
Seven is not a party to the defamation proceedings.
'Feminazis' in the press pack
During his evidence today, Mr Auerbach also revealed Seven was negotiating the compensation Mr Lehrmann would receive for his Spotlight appearance, during his criminal trial in October 2022.
The court heard Mr Auerbach met John MacGowan, who he described as Mr Lerhmann's "media minder", at a cafe in Canberra near the ACT Supreme Court on October 21 to discuss the particulars of the potential episode.
He said Mr MacGowan wanted to help Mr Lehrmann recoup money for his "many" legal fees.
"Mr MacGowan had a previous friendship with somebody who had been on a Channel Seven program who had received $150,000 so he said 'I know what she got, so we'll start from there'," Mr Auerbach told the court.
"And we sort of talked about, vaguely, $200,000."
That figure has not been confirmed.
Mr Auerbach said the pair also discussed "how that payment might work", and an idea that rather than giving it directly to Mr Lehrmann, it may go into a trust account in Mr MacGowan's name.
Mr Auerbach also gave evidence about text messages he sent his boss, former producer Steve Jackson, two days later when he was "on the piss" with Mr Lehrmann.
The messages were from Mr Auerbach telling Mr Jackson that he was confident the Spotlight program was going to get the story.
"He said that he appreciated the fact that I wasn't sitting with the rest of the 'feminazis' in the press pack," Mr Auerbach told the court.
The court also heard from Ten's barrister Matthew Collins, who argued the team at the Spotlight program was operating in a "perverse universe".
He questioned why Mr Auerbach's resignation was not accepted the morning after he charged thousands of dollars worth of massages to a Seven corporate credit card.
"Somehow in the perverse universe in which this program was apparently operating, Mr Auerbach was not terminated for spending more than $10,000 on the company credit card … in connection with getting the story of the year," Mr Collins said.
"It's staggering. I know what I'd do if it was my employee."
Hearing wraps up with date for judgment still uncertain
Mr Auerbach completed his evidence in the Federal Court today after he was called as a last-minute witness for Ten earlier this week.
Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson are defending a defamation claim brought by Mr Lehrmann, which he launched after an interview on The Project with Brittany Higgins over her alleged rape at Parliament House.
Mr Lehrmann's criminal trial for the alleged rape was aborted due to juror misconduct and later was abandoned owing to concerns for Ms Higgins's health.
Mr Lehrmann has always denied the allegations and there are no findings against him.
Just before 5pm on Friday, the hearing wrapped up and Justice Michael Lee formally reserved his decision in the case.
He said he would inform all sides as soon as possible about when he will deliver his judgment.
"It will not be Monday or Tuesday, you can rest assured," he said.
"There is a symmetry of interest in getting this out as quickly as possible."
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2024-04-05 02:22:18Z
CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTA0LTA1L2F1ZXJiYWNoLWV2aWRlbmNlLWxlaHJtYW5uLWRlZmFtYXRpb24tY2FzZS1uZXR3b3JrLXRlbi13aWxraW5zb24vMTAzNjcyMzg00gEA
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