Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann and the ABC have agreed to settle defamation action over a 2022 National Press Club speech by Brittany Higgins.
Key points:
- The ABC and Bruce Lehrmann agree to settle the former Liberal staffer's defamation action
- Mr Lehrmann's case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson continues
- He is suing over coverage of allegations he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, which he has always denied
Mr Lehrmann was due to take on the ABC, alongside Network Ten, in the Federal Court in Sydney today after he sued over coverage of allegations he raped his former colleague Ms Higgins in Parliament House in Canberra.
The allegations against Mr Lehrmann remain unresolved after a criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court collapsed due to juror misconduct, and plans for a retrial were later abandoned because of fears for Ms Higgins's health.
There have been no findings against Mr Lehrmann, who maintains his innocence.
Justice Michael Lee has not yet ordered costs and left the way open for the hearing to continue if a settlement is not finalised in 16 days.
Action continues against Network Ten, Wilkinson
Mr Lehrmann has settled with the ABC but his defamation action against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson continues, beginning today.
Mr Lehrmann and Wilkinson both arrived at court this morning for the first day of the case.
Wilkinson interviewed Ms Higgins when she first aired her claims on The Project in February 2021.
During the interview with Wilkinson, Ms Higgins alleged she was raped in the Parliament House office of Senator Linda Reynolds — for whom both she and Mr Lehrmann worked — after a night out in March 2019.
The program did not name Mr Lehrmann, but in a letter to Network Ten, he argued "his name was widely trafficked as the culprit on social media and the internet generally".
His lawyers said even by the time of the broadcast, it was "notorious in Parliament House and elsewhere that Mr Lehrmann was the person alleged to have assaulted Ms Higgins".
Mr Lehrmann's lawyers demanded Network Ten pay $235,000, apologise, and remove the stories he said defamed him.
Network Ten will seek to establish that the reporting was true and also rely on the defence of qualified privilege in the case.
In its submissions, the network said it "had a duty to publish the matters".
Mr Lehrmann has already settled a claim against journalist Samantha Maiden and her employer, News Life Media, who broke the story of Ms Higgins's allegations in February 2021.
Network Ten fails to restrict live stream
The Federal Court this morning rejected a bid by Network Ten to restrict the live streaming of the trial.
The network had proposed an order where journalists and other interested people could apply for access to a live stream, rather than having it streamed on YouTube.
But Justice Lee said: "The orders proposed by Network Ten assume the worst".
"It has been a regular practice of this court to live stream proceedings perceived to be of public interest," he said.
The court heard Mr Lehrmann's express wish was for the proceedings to be live-streamed.
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2023-11-21 23:30:48Z
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