Bruce Lehrmann should receive more than $1 million if he can overturn his devastating defamation lawsuit lost to Channel Ten on appeal, his lawyer says.
Federal Court Judge Michael Lee ruled earlier this year in favor of broadcaster and journalist Lisa Wilkinson in her high-profile multimillion-dollar legal showdown with the former political staffer.
Judge Lee found that Lehrmann, considering the odds, had raped his former colleague Brittany Higgins inside Parliament House in March 2019.
In his judgment, Judge Lee said that had Lehrmann been successful in the high-stakes lawsuit, he would only have been awarded a nominal sum of $20,000.
Lehrmann’s attorney, Zali Burrows, in court documents released Thursday as part of a proposed appeal, described that estimate as inadequate and said he should be awarded a six- to seven-figure sum.
“$20,000 for a false rape allegation is manifestly inadequate and (Lehrmann) should receive a seven-figure sum or at least hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Burrows said.
Lehrmann’s attorney, Zali Burrows, believes her client Bruce Lehrmann should receive a six- to seven-figure sum if Judge Lee’s sentence is overturned.
Lehrmann has decided to overturn Judge Lee’s ruling on appeal; However, Network 10 has asked the court to order it to post $200,000 collateral.
Ms Burrows opposes this security claim, to cover Ten’s legal costs should Lehrmann lose his appeal.
Ten’s lawyer, Dr Matt Collins, attacked two of Lehrmann’s grounds of appeal as “slightly arguable” and the other two as “hopeless”.
According to court documents, Lehrmann has been receiving Centrelink benefits since January 1, 2022.
Burrows said in court this week that Lehrman couldn’t afford a $200,000 guarantee and that his “only chance” to make money “is by going on Onlyfans or something silly like that.”
The matter was heard in the Federal Court earlier this week, and Judge Wendy Abraham will hand down her sentence at a later date.
Lehrmann is also seeking a stay order on the $2 million costs order, made against the former Liberal staffer after he was ordered to pay Ten’s legal costs for the trial.
In her submissions on Ten’s costs application, Ms Burrows claimed there was a “power imbalance” between Ten and Lehrmann and described it as a “blunt intimidation tactic” to “tear down” her appeal.
Lisa Wilkinson successfully defended the lawsuit. Image: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
He also argued that Ten would earn more than $200,000 in advertising revenue by reporting on the appeal.
‘The first defendant is a powerful media company and the sum of $200,000 they are seeking in a security costs order is arguably not a considerable sum to lose should they be successful on appeal, bearing in mind that they are likely to earn much more. in advertising revenue by reporting on the appeals process on one of their programs or websites,” he said.
He said the trial was a “de facto rape trial” and that he had the right to “clear his name.”
“Mr Lehrmann should have the right to clear his name and pursue his appeal without the scare tactic of a costs guarantee against him to nullify his right to clear his name if he is found to be a violator, which is arguably one of the worst and “It is the most damning conclusion that can be made against anyone,” Ms. Burrows wrote.
In its own court submissions, Network Ten argued that Mr Lehrmann’s difficulties in finding employment can best be attributed to his high-profile aborted criminal trial, followed by his high-profile defamation suit.
“To the extent that Mr. Lehrmann and the allegations against him have continued to receive extensive media coverage since his criminal case was dropped, thereby prolonging his inability to work, it is due to his decision to “go back for his hat.” “initiating the defamation proceedings that followed, with all the coverage that followed and the disastrous impact on his reputation that followed the result,” the filing said.
CCTV of Bruce Lehrmann and Brittany Higgins entering Linda Reynolds’ office.
“Mr Lehrmann’s employability is also likely to be affected by the fact that around October 2023, Mr Lehrmann was identified as being charged with two counts of alleged rape in Toowoomba in October 2021. Around July 2024, Mr Lehrmann Mr. Lehrmann agreed to stand trial with respect to those rape charges.’
Lehrmann faced a trial in the ACT Supreme Court in 2022 after pleading not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The trial was abandoned due to jury misconduct and the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrew the charges and plans for a retrial due to concerns about Ms Higgins’ welfare.