Bruce Lehmann has lost a defamation lawsuit against a broadcaster and a journalist over a 2021 interview with his accuser.
A former Australian government employee raped a colleague in parliament, a judge has ruled, dismissing a defamation claim against a broadcaster who broadcast the accuser’s claims.
Justice Michael Leigh has ruled that former Conservative government adviser Bruce Lehmann did not commit defamation in a TV interview with Brittany Higgins in which he raped her in a minister’s office in 2019. .
Lee made a finding on the balance of probabilities that was lower than the standard used in criminal trials to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mr Lee said it was “likely” the former government official was “serious” about having sex with women he found attractive and who he knew were inebriated.
“In his pursuit of satisfaction, he never cared whether Ms. Higgins understood or agreed,” Lee said.
“Mr Lehmann raped Ms Higgins,” the judge said.
“I would like to emphasize that this is a finding on the balance of probabilities.”
Mr Lee also criticized Network 10, which aired the accusations against Mr Lehmann, for “falling short of a standard of reasonableness” and said Mr Higgins was a “complicated and in some respects unsatisfactory witness”. Ta.
Lehmann made no comment to the media scrum that had assembled as he left the courtroom.
Lehmann has always maintained his innocence and sued Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a 2021 interview with Higgins, who he did not name.
Lehmann went to trial on rape charges in 2022, but the case ended without any evidence against him after it was discovered that the jury investigated the case in violation of court rules. Canceled.
Prosecutors abandoned plans to retry the case, finding it would have a serious negative impact on Higgins’ mental health.
Ms Higgins’ claims roiled Australia’s political landscape when they were first made public in 2021, sparking heated debate about sexual violence and the treatment of women in politics.
