An evening in which Bruce Lehrmann ‘overflowed his heart’ with his lawyer over a glass of whiskey and drunkenly sent desperate text messages to his then-girlfriend is now at the center of his libel suit against Channel 10 and news.com. ow.
On February 15, 2021, Lehrmann sat down with his lawyer Warwick Korn in his Sydney office and was enraged when Brittany Higgins accused an unidentified figure, him, of raping her at Parliament House in March 2019, during an interview. at The Project.
Lehrmann’s girlfriend at the time, Greta Sinclair, was distraught over the extraordinary televised allegations.
He placated her by sending her messages suggesting her lawyer had told her he was a “pawn” and “part of a larger political hatchet job.”
During cross-examination in Sydney Federal Court on Thursday, Lehrmann admitted to Ten’s lawyer, Matthew Collins SC, that Korn never said that.
Text messages surfaced in which Lehrmann told Sinclair he was having a “glass of scotch” in Korn’s office while awaiting Lisa Wilkinson’s interview with Higgins on the current affairs show.
Bruce Lehrmann is pictured outside Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday, where he entered the witness box in court for the first time.
Bruce Lehrmann (pictured, center, Thursday) fabricated a version of what was happening in a meeting with his lawyer for the sake of his girlfriend, Greta Sinclair, the Federal Court heard.
“If they name me tonight, I’m running for millions in defamation… (Mr. Korn) said I won’t see the light of a court,” he said.
Later that night, at 10:02 p.m., he sent Ms. Sinclair another message saying, “He (Mr. Korn) is still taking notes though, he’s very professional.”
While being questioned in court, Lehrmann admitted that Korn was not, in fact, taking notes during their conversation and insisted that he just wanted Sinclair to feel good.
‘I wanted her to think I had my house in order.’
Dr. Collins suggested that the meeting with Mr. Korn was “not at all professional” because “you were there pouring your heart out and drinking Scotch” and “Mr. Korn wasn’t taking notes.”
Mr Lehrmann admitted: ‘It wasn’t. Not that I remember, no.
The following day, Mr Lehrmann checked into the Royal North Shore Hospital for psychiatric treatment, where he was placed under ’30 minute’ observation. He told the hospital that he had been “quite intoxicated” the night before.
He then voluntarily checked into a mental health facility and stayed there for 12 days.
Lehrmann is suing the network and news website over stories in which Higgins alleged that a “male colleague” had raped her in 2019, at Parliament House. The broadcast and the online article were published on the same day.
Lehrmann sent a series of messages to his then-girlfriend Greta Sinclair after the allegations against him (pictured) were aired. She later told the court that most of them were ‘manufactured’ to ‘pacify’ her because she was upset.
He was not named in the broadcast or article, but his claim statement argues that his identity would have become known in political circles.
Lehrmann’s interlocutory hearing on Thursday was about why it took him two years to file the defamation suit.
Applicants normally have 12 months after publication to file a defamation case, but Mr. Lehrmann’s case was filed two years later.
His lawyers argued that it was unreasonable for him to start the case earlier.
Meanwhile, lawyers for the broadcaster and the news website argued that he should not be allowed to sue for defamation because it was reasonable for him to file the lawsuit within the first year.
Earlier, in cross-examination on Thursday, Wilkinson’s lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou, referred to a page in a blue notebook that Mr Lehrmann kept in March 2021, which she called the “Higgins matter”.
She said there was a page in the book that had the name ‘Wilkinson’ written with a horizontal line and two hyphens coming out of it: one hyphen read ‘Rush’ and the other read ‘Jarratt’.
Actors John Jarratt and Geoffrey Rush hired Chrysanthou in 2021 and 2020, respectively, to represent them in libel cases similar to Lehrmann’s. Both actors were accused of rape and sued the media for publishing the allegations.
While not mentioned in Wilkinson’s interview with Higgins (the couple pictured above after their interview with the Project), Lehrmann’s claim statement argues that his identity would have become known in political circles.
Speaking of Jarratt, the Wolf Creek star, Ms Chrysanthou told Mr Lehrman: “Did you know that he sued you for defamation, despite being accused?”
Mr. Lehrmann responded: “I was aware of your case, but you were not charged.”
Ms Chrysanthou said: “I want to suggest to you that the reason you put (Rush’s) name on there was because you sued for libel within a week.”
Mr. Lehrmann replied: ‘Not within a week.’
He then explained that he intended to sue for defamation at the time, but said that he did not have the financial ability to pay for a defamation lawyer.
Ms Chrysanthou asked: ‘You don’t have the financial capacity now to pursue libel proceedings, do you?’
Judge Lee objected to that question and withdrew it.
Instead, he asked: You had no idea if you could get lawyers without paying them, right? For defamation proceedings.
“You had in mind to file a defamation case in March 2021, right?” She continued.
Mr Lehrmann, who seemed visibly uncomfortable, said “that was on my mind”, before explaining that he was advised not to start a civil matter at the time.
The hearing was adjourned until Thursday, March 23.
