A Federal Court judge has sensationally dismissed Bruce Lehrmann’s multimillion-dollar defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson after finding the former Liberal staffer raped Brittany Higgins in a Parliament House office.
While Justice Michael Lee found there were discrepancies in the evidence of all parties involved, he was scathing in his assessment of Lehrmann’s truthfulness in his evidence.
Lehrmann now faces a significant bill for the legal costs of Ten and Wilkinson.
Lee said Lehrmann was indifferent to whether a drunk Higgins consented or not before he raped her on a senator’s couch at Parliament House.
Earlier on Monday, Lee described Lehrmann as an unreliable, dishonest witness.
“Mr Lehrmann has no compunction from departing from the truth if he thought it was expedient,” he said.
“I am satisfied that in important respects, he told deliberate lies.”
Lee made clear that his finding Lehrmann raped Higgins was made to the civil standard of proof, or balance of probabilities.
The finding was not made to the criminal standard of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, and the Federal Court decision does not amount to a conviction. Nor will it lead to any criminal punishment.
Source: Lehrmann loses defamation bid, judge finds he raped Higgins