Jackie Os Teams Secret Plan to Shield Gemma

's legal team deployed 'spies' to help her best friend sneak out of court without being swarmed by media and to avoid a face-to-face interaction with Kyle Sandilands

Gemma O'Neill sat in the Federal Court on Friday on behalf of Henderson, who was nowhere to be seen in her own civil proceedings against her former employer ARN, the owner of KIIS 106.5.

Henderson is suing the radio giant over claims it breached the Fair Work Act by failing to protect her from alleged bullying by her former co-host .

Sandilands is suing ARN over claims his $100 million contract should never have been terminated because he was hired to be 'dominant and abrasive', and therefore his behaviour did not breach conduct codes.

While the cases are separate and based on different grounds, they were combined for a case management hearing on Friday.

O'Neill was sitting in the front row with a handbag just before the hearing started when a member of Henderson's legal team approached her and said: 'When it's over, one of our spies will tell us which way Kyle goes.

'Then you can go when you feel comfortable.'

The moment the hearing was over, the same lawyer gave O'Neill a nod, and she quickly fled to a private room and closed the door.

She waited in court for an extra 45 minutes, until the media pack had largely dispersed and she was only confronted by a few reporters. She declined to comment.

Sandilands spoke to media twice outside court - upon arrival in a black Rolls-Royce, and then again on departure into the same luxury vehicle.

Asked about claims by Henderson's lawyers who said she didn't appear in court because she didn't want to sit in the same space as him, Sandilands said: 'Bulls**t'.

'They say they don't want to be in the same courtroom, that's their legal strategy,' he said.

'We have a different strategy. Just don't believe the bulls**t that you hear and read, just wait to see what comes out in court.'

He also hinted about a potential return to radio, after ARN's lawyers said in court that relationships between all three parties had disintegrated - to the point where a return to KIIS 106.5 was 'hopeless'.

'There are other options that work,' Sandilands said.

'That's not the only radio station in the world.'

The Kyle and Jackie O Show came to an end on February 20 following a on-air fight when Sandilands slammed Henderson for her 'fixation' on astrology, and then mocked her for crying.

Sandilands' lawyer Scott Robertson SC told the court there was no dispute over what his client said to Henderson because the the KIIS 106.5 studio was like 'Big Brother' - everything was recorded, whether or not it went to air.

Referring to Sandilands' conduct during broadcasts, Mr Robertson said: 'If you buy Kyle, you get Kyle.'

'The conduct Mr Sandilands engaged in was contractually desired - that was a word used in the contract - and it was monetised,' he said.

Henderson's lawyer said there was no dispute from ARN about Sandilands' alleged bullying.

Her main claim, the lawyer said, was whether ARN was responsible for Henderson's wellbeing at work.

ARN argued that Sandilands often made 'offensive and degrading' comments to Henderson, but the broadcaster had 'no ability or powers' to stop him.

Henderson and Sandilands signed their contracts using their respective businesses, Henderson Media and Quasar. ARN claims those businesses were responsible for the welfare and conduct of the co‑hosts, rather than the broadcaster.

In its defence, ARN referred to a complaint from Henderson's lawyers about Sandilands in the days following the February argument, stating she would not return to work until she was given an alternative radio show.

To ARN, that meant Henderson did not intend to return to work if there was no alternative show. ARN said it did not propose an alternative show because there was no obligation to do so.

Both matters have been set for trial on October 12.