Former federal Liberal political staffer Bruce Lehrmann has filed defamation proceedings against the ABC over its coverage of rape allegations made by his former colleague Brittany Higgins.
The lawsuit is the third filed by Lehrmann, who is also suing Network Ten and News Life Media, the News Corp company behind News.com.au, over interviews with Higgins broadcast and published on February 15, 2021.
Bruce Lehrmann enters the Federal Court in Sydney in March.Credit:Kate Geraghty
Lehrmann filed proceedings against the ABC on Wednesday afternoon, according to publicly available records.
The Federal Court has yet to release any documents in the dispute, including Lehrmann’s statement of claim.
Justice Michael Lee has yet to decide whether he will extend a one-year limitation period to allow Lehrmann to sue over the Ten and News Corp interviews, which are now two years old.
Lee reserved his decision on that issue on March 23 and will deliver a judgment at a later date.
It is not yet clear whether Lehrmann would also require the court to extend the one-year limitation period in order to sue the ABC for defamation.
Lehrmann alleges the Ten and News Corp interviews, which did not name him, conveyed a series of defamatory meanings, including that he raped Higgins in then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds’ office in 2019. He denies the rape allegation.
Lehrmann was named in the media in August 2021 after he was charged with sexual intercourse without consent.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge. His trial was aborted in October last year due to juror misconduct. The charge was later dropped altogether amid concerns about Higgins’ mental health. Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence.
Comment was sought from the ABC and Mark O’Brien Legal, the Sydney media law firm acting for Lehrmann.
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