## Seven West Media CEO James Warburton Steps Down
James Warburton, the CEO and managing director of Seven West Media, has stepped down from his position effective immediately. His departure comes earlier than expected, as his term was originally set to end on June 30th.
This news follows recent allegations made in the defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson. During the court hearing, it was alleged that the Seven Network paid for illicit drugs and sex workers for Mr. Lehrmann in exchange for an exclusive interview. Seven West Media has denied these allegations, stating that they have never reimbursed Mr. Lehrmann for such expenses.
In a separate incident, Seven News mistakenly identified a student as the perpetrator of the Bondi Junction stabbing, which resulted in the student pursuing legal action against the network. Seven News has apologized for this error and attributed it to human error.
Following Mr. Warburton's departure, Seven West Media's CFO, Jeff Howard, will take over as CEO. The company has expressed gratitude to Mr. Warburton for his contributions and has appointed Craig Haskins as acting CFO until a permanent replacement is announced.