Inside an Australian Legal Superstar’s Chaotic Genius

Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor

On a crisp March morning in 2024, Sue Chrysanthou SC strolled into Sydney’s Supreme Court carrying more than just case files. Tucked under her arm was a thermos of Greek coffee, a ritual linking her to the Cypriot village her parents fled during Turkey’s 1974 invasion.

By day’s end, she’d secure a ruling that would reshape Australian defamation law—the High Court’s refusal to hear an appeal against WIN Television’s landmark Section 30 defence victory.

And her work continues to reshape defamation law with this week’s ruling in the legal drama that has been the defamation case by Bruce Lehrmann against Channel Ten and the ruling to pay $1.15 million to Chrysanthou’s client, journalist Lisa Wilkinson.

Sue Chrysanthou SC and Lisa Wilkinson leaving court in Sydney on 15 April 2024. The federal court approved that Ten should pay Wilkinson $1.15m, to cover her costs for retaining separate legal representation.

In the WIN Television case Chrysanthou had convinced three courts—trial, appellate, and ultimately the High Court—that WIN’s conduct was “reasonable” under the Defamation Act 2005, a rare feat for media defendants. 

“She turned Section 30 from a legal footnote into a shield for responsible journalism,” said a rival barrister who requested anonymity. The precedent now protects outlets that act diligently, even when reporting turns contentious.

But it has perhaps been the Lehrmann case that has brought the Senior Counsel to the attention of the public.

The Lehrmann Defamation Drama

In what feels like the final chapter of television’s longest-running legal drama, Australia’s Channel Ten has now agreed to pay journalist Lisa Wilkinson $1.15 million to cover her legal expenses from the Bruce Lehrmann defamation saga.

The federal court gave its blessing to this settlement this week, bringing closure to what had been months of back-and-forth bickering over exactly how much Ten should cough up for Chrysanthou and her legal team. It’s worth noting that this figure falls short of the $1.8 million Wilkinson initially claimed she had been forced to spend while successfully fighting off Lehrmann’s claims.

For those who haven’t been following every twist and turn of this media circus, the whole affair stems from a February 2021 segment on The Project. During that broadcast, Brittany Higgins alleged that Lehrmann had sexually assaulted her in Parliament House nearly two years earlier—accusations that prompted Lehrmann to file a defamation suit that Justice Michael Lee presided over in 2023.

The court-approved settlement amount suggests that while Wilkinson didn’t get everything she asked for, Ten definitely had to open its wallet significantly wider than it likely hoped.

The plot thickened considerably in April 2024 when Justice Michael Lee delivered what can only be described as a knockout blow to Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation hopes. The judge didn’t just dismiss the case—he ruled that Lehrmann hadn’t been defamed at all and, more dramatically, found that Brittany Higgins’ explosive allegations were “substantially true” on the balance of probabilities. Yes, you read that right: the court determined she was sexually assaulted in Linda Reynolds’ parliamentary office.

Justice Lee, who somehow managed to untangle what insiders have dubbed an “omnishambles” of a case, then twisted the knife in June by ordering Lehrmann to pay a whopping $2 million in legal costs to Ten.

But this still left the million-dollar question hanging in the air: what about Wilkinson’s separate legal tab?

For context, Ten had already shelled out an eye-watering $3.7 million defending itself against Lehrmann’s lawsuit. While an external referee was brought in to determine exactly how much of Wilkinson’s legal bill could reasonably be covered, Ten ultimately decided to bite the bullet and agree to the $1.15 million figure before things got even messier at a contested hearing.

The network has already transferred $558,000 to Wilkinson’s accounts and is on the hook to pay the remaining balance by March 19. But here’s where things get interesting—how much of this growing pile of legal debt will actually be recoverable from Lehrmann? With reports suggesting he’s teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, collecting these funds might prove to be Ten’s next impossible mission.

Courtroom Alchemy: Milk Vomit and Midnight Epiphanies

Chrysanthou’s trial prep sessions defy legal stereotypes. Former client Heston Russell recalls 1 AM strategy meetings interrupted by possum feedings: “We’d track down US military commanders via LinkedIn while bottle-raising orphaned wallabies”. 

This chaotic creativity fuels her courtroom wins—like spotting a crucial handwritten note in the ABC’s documents during midnight document review, a find that unraveled the broadcaster’s defense2.

Her 2024 victory for Gina Edwards—awarded $150,000 over false cavoodle theft claims—showcases her mastery of forensic detail5. “She made Nine Network’s journalists admit they’d confused two nearly identical dogs,” chuckles a court observer. “That’s Chrysanthou—she’ll out-research you on pedigree charts if it serves justice.”

The $8,000/Day Mind That Breaks the Mold

While Sydney’s legal elite dine at waterfront mansions, Chrysanthou’s “war room” features Uber Eats containers and children’s homework.

A recent invoice reveals her $8,000 daily court rate, yet she volunteers for WIRES wildlife rescue between trials. “Found a baby bat in her handbag during the Lehrmann mediation,” confides a colleague.

This duality defines her appeal. She secured Lisa Wilkinson’s partial victory in the Lehrmann case by arguing—controversially—that the journalist had minimal input in the award-winning story. 

Critics howled, but Chrysanthou’s retort was characteristically blunt: “Law isn’t about popularity. It’s about what you can prove.”

From Refugee Camp to Counsel’s Bench

The daughter of Cypriot refugees who rebuilt their lives in Ballarat, Chrysanthou nearly became a veterinarian before channeling her grit into law. 

That background fuels her defense of underdogs—whether Greens senators or conservative commentators. “In our first meeting, she said ‘I’ve sued you before’ with a grin,” recalls 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

Her 2024 caseload mirrors Australia’s cultural fissures: defending Pauline Hanson against Mehreen Faruqi, advising Lachlan Murdoch, yet also representing #MeToo accusers. “Principles over politics,” she told a legal conference last month, declining to elaborate.

The latest legal win in the Lehrmann case simply reinforces the emphatic arrival of Sue Chrysanthou as Australia’s leading media lawyer.