Author Peter FitzSimons is seeking costs from Bruce Lehrmann for complying with a subpoena in the former Liberal staffer’s defamation case against Network Ten and FitzSimons’ wife Lisa Wilkinson over the network’s airing of allegations that Lehrmann raped ex-colleague Brittany Higgins.
Did Bruce Lehrmann rape colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019? That is the primary question in the case to be decided by the Federal Court early next month, and the credibility of the two principal protagonists is central to answering that question.
A judge has found that Lisa Wilkinson acted reasonably in ditching Network Ten’s legal team in a defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann, noting the “distrust” between the presenter and her former employer as well as other matters, including a retainer Ten’s solicitors had with The Australian newspaper.
A senior lawyer at Network Ten has told the court she was not embarrassed by legal advice given to Lisa Wilkinson in relation to her controversial Logies speech and denied she was “utterly ill-equipped” to play a role in Wilkinson’s defence, amid a stoush between the network and the presenter over her legal bill in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case.
A lip reading expert has given evidence of his interpretation of CCTV footage at a bar on the night Bruce Lehrmann allegedly raped Brittany Higgins, saying he “encouraged” her to finish drinks, a claim the former Liberal staffer has denied.
A judge overseeing the trial in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson has asked to see the legal advice Wilkinson received before giving her Logies acceptance speech last year, saying it was “inconceivable” any lawyer would have approved it.
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins told a colleague she “could not have consented” to a sexual encounter with Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House, a court has heard.
A lip reading expert who has examined CCTV footage of Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins on the night of her alleged rape at Parliament House must give evidence in person, with a judge saying if the expert needs an interpreter for cross-examination it could affect the weight given to his evidence. Lehrmann is suing Network…
A former personal aide to Senator Linda Reynolds has given evidence in a defamation trial that she spoke with her boss about Bruce Lehrmann’s alleged assault against Brittany Higgins two weeks after the incident and that the ex-defence minister had told her she “felt sick” about it.
Brittany Higgins has been questioned over messages she sent to a friend shortly after she was allegedly raped at Parliament House that are said to contradict her account, with the former Liberal staffer saying she “wasn’t ready” to disclose the truth.