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Top 10 court stories in 2024
In 2024, the defamation trial brought by Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten was the most followed on Lawyers Weekly, but there were several other court stories that also stood out. Here is a wrap-up of the top 10 court stories.
Naomi Neilson
For most of the year, the profession was gripped by Lehrmann’s defamation trial, from Justice Michael Lee’s judgment, senior lawyer’s predictions on the ongoing dispute, and the controversial comments in and outside the courtroom.
Although only a recent case, the High Court’s decision in Bird v DP also quickly became one of the biggest court stories of the year.
Here are all ten of the most-read stories:
1. Lehrmann’s defamation trial may be far from over, says expert
Legal experts weigh in on the key takeaways from Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial and make predictions about what may come next.
2. Lehrmann accuses former firm of wrongly taking $117k
In submissions that confused a judge and rendered opposing counsel speechless, Bruce Lehrmann accused his former firm of taking $117,000 out of trust when it was not entitled to.
3. High Court upholds 25 years of ‘harsh’ precedent in historic abuse case
Despite how “harsh” it may seem, the High Court of Australia was unwilling to overturn 25 years of precedent to impose a penalty on the Catholic Church for the child abuse committed by a priest.
4. Letter to major firm an attempt to ‘bully and intimidate’, court finds
A former solicitor, his partner and her company sent a lengthy, rude letter to HWL Ebsworth in “an attempt to bully and intimidate” the lawyers of a man who stood in the way of a property development.
5. Judge rules on Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial
The Federal Court has ruled on whether Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House.
6. Judge criticises Ten for misleading comments after Lehrmann win
A discussion about costs in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation matter became tense when Justice Michael Lee accused lawyers for Network Ten of making misleading statements after their win.
7. Dawson makes out grounds of appeal but stays locked up
Chris Dawson succeeded on two of the five grounds in the appeal of his murder conviction – but it was not enough to free him. Here’s why.
8. ‘Inconceivable’: Judge slams tardiness in Super Retail Group dispute
Justice Michael Lee came down hard on the lawyers behind a chief legal officer for missing a deadline that he said should have taken a barrister and a paralegal a half day’s work to complete.
9. Former army lawyer and whistleblower sentenced to jail
A former Australian army lawyer was sentenced to more than five years behind bars for leaking classified documents to media.
10. EY partner loses privilege over termination documents
A sacked Ernst & Young partner accused of promoting three tax exploitation schemes was only partly successful in his bid to prevent the ATO from accessing his emails with colleagues.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
