Overview
- Bruce Lehrmann’s bid for special leave was refused by the High Court on Thursday, ending his last chance to overturn the defamation loss and ordering him to pay costs.
- The refusal leaves in place Justice Michael Lee’s finding that, on the balance of probabilities, Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.
- The Full Court in December upheld the decision and said he had actual knowledge that Higgins was not consenting, while endorsing strong adverse credibility findings.
- Media reports say he now faces a large bill for Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson’s legal costs, including about $2 million for the trial and around $500,000 for the appeal.
- A separate criminal case in the ACT ended without a verdict after juror misconduct, and prosecutors later dropped charges citing concern for Higgins’ welfare.