Major appeal in the Lehrmann rent dispute

Bruce Lehrmann is described as “probably one of the most hated men in Australia” as he defends himself against allegations that he caused $13,200 in damage to a multi-million dollar home that Channel 7 had rented for him.

His former landlord Gaenor Meakes claims the former political staffer caused more than $13,200 in damage to the Balgowlah property rented for him by Seven, who footed the $100,000 bill.

She also claims that she is owed $6,000 in unpaid rent because Mr. Lehrmann moved out of the luxury two-bedroom apartment three weeks before the end of the lease.

The owner has initiated legal proceedings against her former tenant to recover the costs of the alleged property damage and unpaid rent.

On Thursday, Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows told the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Court that her client had “learned about these proceedings essentially from the media”.

Due to the media attention, she asked the court for permission to represent Mr Lehrmann before the tribunal – where people normally have to represent themselves.

Ms Burrows said it would be difficult for Mr Lehrmann, whom she described as “probably one of the most hated men in Australia”, to represent himself in proceedings that would be closely followed by the media.

“He basically had to flee the state and live elsewhere because he was being harassed by the media,” she said.

Ms Burrows also pointed out that Gaenor Meakes was represented by her daughter Matilda, who had previously told the media she did not believe “anyone would voluntarily rent to” Mr Lehrmann.

The comments were “intended with a certain malice” and would make it “quite uncomfortable” for the former political aide to deal with Ms Meakes, Ms Burrows told the court.

“He does not feel confident enough to deal with the plaintiff in these proceedings,” she said.

The lawyer also argued that Mr Lehrmann would not be able to “effectively argue” against Ms Meakes’ “frivolous or vexatious” demand for a lump sum of five weeks’ rent.

Susan Corley, a member of the General Tribunal, noted that Ms Meakes had been paid a security deposit of $10,600, which should have been paid for repairs at the end of the lease.

She granted Ms Burrows permission to appear for Mr Lehrmann, but questioned whether Ms Meakes and Mr Lehrmann were both resident in New South Wales at the time the proceedings were commenced.

If this is not the case, the case will have to be referred to the local court in New South Wales, she warned.

The court was told that Mr Lehrmann was living in Tasmania at the time, where he still resides.

Ms. Corley urged the parties to go to a private mediation room to “see if they can reach a compromise that will bring this matter to an end today.”

When they returned after more than an hour of discussion, Ms Meakes and Ms Burrows jointly requested that the matter be referred to the local court of New South Wales.

“I will refer both cases to the local court based on your consent and the jurisdictional issue,” Ms. Corley agreed.

“I would encourage you to keep talking.”

The rent for the house was covered by an agreement between Channel 7 and Mr Lehrmann, whereby the latter would pay his rent for a year and in return give him an exclusive television interview on the channel’s Spotlight programme.

During Mr Lehrmann’s defamation lawsuit against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, the court heard that Seven had paid $100,000 in rent for his accommodation after he agreed to take part in two interviews in 2023.

An invoice presented to the court showed that the network had arranged for Mr Lehrmann to live at Ms Meakes’ home in Balgowlah, in northern Sydney, from April 2022 to April 2023.

It is understood his name was on the lease but the six-figure bill was paid by Seven’s finance team.

Mrs Meakes is the wife of master sailor Mark Richards, long-time captain of Wild Oats XI, who has won numerous awards at home and abroad.

The couple bought the Balgowlah home for $2.4 million in 2019 before it was transferred into Ms Meakes’ name.

The settlement hearing took place just hours after Mr. Lehrmann was ordered by a federal court to pay millions of dollars in legal fees.

The former political staffer suffered a devastating blow in April when Judge Michael Lee found that he almost certainly raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in March 2019.

Judge Lee dismissed the defamation suit, which he criticized as “ill-conceived” and “based on a fanciful and knowingly false premise.”

Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent before his trial in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 2022 was abandoned due to jury misconduct.

Out of concern for Ms Higgins’ welfare, the Attorney General decided to drop the charges and not seek a retrial.

Mr Lehrmann continues to maintain his innocence and has appealed Judge Lee’s decision on the grounds that he was denied a fair trial.