Major development in Bruce Lehrmann’s court case against Channel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson – as judge reveals it is decision time

A Federal Court judge will deliver judgment in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation suit against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in two weeks.

Mr. Lehrmann launched the civil action following an interview aired on the network’s flagship current affairs show, The Project, in which Wilkinson interviewed Brittany Higgins about her rape allegations.

Ms Higgins alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her in Parliament in March 2019, when they both worked for the Liberal Party.

He was not named in the 2021 show, but claimed his friends and colleagues were able to identify him as the alleged rapist. He has always maintained his innocence.

The defamation case was heard before Justice Michael Lee in the Federal Court in Sydney in December last year.

On Wednesday, the court announced that the judgment would be delivered on April 4 at 10:15 a.m.

Judge Lee will present his reasons orally and post a written judgment on the court’s website.

To win the case, the network and Wilkinson will have to prove that the alleged rape occurred on the balance of probabilities.

That means Judge Lee, who is presiding over the case, will have to determine whether it is more likely that the rape occurred.

This differs from a criminal trial, where the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged incident occurred.

Judge Lee could draw three conclusions.

He was able to find that Mr Lehrmann had raped Brittany Higgins and had therefore not been defamed by Lisa Wilkinson and Network Ten.

The judge could conclude that Mr. Lehrmann did not rape Ms. Higgins, which would mean he was defamed and would likely get damages.

Judge Lee could also conclude that there is insufficient evidence one way or the other, meaning it cannot be determined whether Ms Higgins was raped or not.

If the judge finds there is not enough evidence, Mr. Lehrmann would win because the allegations against him cannot be proven.

However, this could mean he walks away with nothing.