{"id":402135,"date":"2026-04-09T14:53:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=402135"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:54:16","slug":"bruce-lehrmanns-bid-to-appeal-defamation-case-ruling-refused-by-high-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=402135","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Lehrmann’s bid to appeal defamation case ruling refused by High Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The High Court has dismissed former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s bid to challenge the outcome of his failed defamation case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Federal Court had ruled that on the balance of probabilities, Mr Lehrmann did rape Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Lehrmann last year lost an appeal against the finding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High Court was his last legal avenue to challenge the outcome.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejection follows failed appeal in Federal Court<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mr Lehrmann had sued Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a 2021 interview featuring Ms Higgins, in which she said she was raped in the office of then-senator Linda Reynolds, but did not name her rapist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Mr Lehrmann argued he was identifiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A criminal trial was later held, but collapsed due to juror misconduct, with no findings against Mr Lehrmann.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Brittany Higgins said it felt like she could “breathe again” after Mr Lehrmann’s Federal Court appeal failed. (AAP: Dean Lewins)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

He later launched defamation action in the Federal Court, but Justice Michael Lee ultimately found that the pair had had sex in the office of Ms Reynolds, that Ms Higgins did not consent, and that Mr Lehrmann was indifferent to whether she had consented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins,” Justice Lee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I hasten to stress this is a finding on the balance of probabilities.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The High Court has dismissed former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s bid to challenge the outcome of his failed defamation case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":28773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,35],"tags":[9035,9032],"class_list":["post-402135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-breaking-news","tag-brittany-higgins","tag-bruce-lehrmann"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t