British TV chef Nigella Lawson has shared her support for Lisa Wilkinson after she won her defamation case against Bruce Lehrmann.
Lehrmann sued Network Ten and Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Project, where Brittany Higgins claimed he raped her in a Parliament office almost two years earlier.
Federal Court Judge Michael Lee ruled in favor of Network 10 on Monday, finding that its reporting was truthful in its allegations against Lehrmann.
A few hours after the verdict was read, Lawson took to X, formerly Twitter, to congratulate Wilkinson.
‘I am very proud of Lisa Wilkinson. And so relieved for all of us,” she wrote.
Nigella Lawson (right) congratulated Lisa Wilkinson (left) on her victory in her defamation lawsuit against accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann.
Peter FitzSimons, Wilkinson’s husband, responded to Lawson simply writing: “Thank you, Nigella.”
Wilkinson and Lawson have interacted several times, including in 2016, when Wilkinson had a “crush” moment with the celebrity chef.
She had shared a selfie of her and Lawson cooking a recipe from her cookbook, Simply Nigella.
Lawson also recently shared her love in an Instagram post that Wilkinson had captioned: “Some days are diamonds.”
Lawson commented: ‘And some people are Diamonds!’
Judge Lee told the court on Monday that “Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins”.
His conclusion was based on the civil court standard – the balance of probabilities – rather than, beyond a reasonable doubt, the criminal court standard.
Outside court, a vindicated Ms Wilkinson said: “Today the federal court has determined that I published a true story about a rape in the office of a federal politician in March 2019.
‘I sincerely hope that the sentence gives strength to women across the country.
Lisa Wilkinson has thanked the public as she won the defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann against her and Network Ten.
Lisa Wilkinson (right) hugged her lawyer Sue Chrysanthou KC outside the courtroom and thanked her profusely.
“I am also very grateful to have had the benefit of our independent legal team.”
He thanked his lawyer Sue Chrysanthou KC for her “experience and wise advice” which has been a “continued source of strength for me over the past 14 months”.
Wilkinson also thanked her family, friends and “generous” members of the public who often approach her in tears.
‘Throughout every step of this process, I have been surrounded by the love of my incredibly supportive family.
‘As well as incredibly supportive friends and colleagues. I will never be able to thank you enough.
“I also wanted to express how grateful I am to the public who reached out to me almost every day to express, often through tears, their unwavering support.”
Wilkinson’s husband, Peter FitzSimons, tweeted that he was “so proud.”
Bruce Lehrmann didn’t say a word as he went through the press pack following Judge Lee’s ruling.
Lehrmann, on the other hand, did not say a word as he reviewed the press kit after the ruling.
The former Liberal staffer sat with his head bowed as he listened to the judge’s conclusions.
“He was a 23-year-old man who was cheating on his girlfriend and had just ‘hooked up’ with a woman he found sexually attractive,” Judge Lee said.
“Human experience suggests that what he wanted to happen is not exactly shrouded in mystery.”
The judge said Lehrmann was “determined to have sexual relations with a woman he found sexually attractive, had kissed and touched each other passionately… and knew that he had lowered his inhibitions.”
“He didn’t care in any way whether Mrs. Higgins understood or consented to what was happening.
Judge Lee found that, contrary to Lehrmann’s evidence, sexual intercourse did occur and that Ms Higgins did not consent.
“I am convinced that there was sexual relations,” the judge stated.
Judge Lee said Mr Lehrmann was “on top” of Ms Higgins and she was unable to get off the sofa.
Mr. Lehrmann initiated defamation proceedings after criminal proceedings failed. The judge said of that decision: “Having escaped from the lions’ den, Mr. Lehrmann made the mistake of returning for his hat.”
Had the 28-year-old won his defamation case, he would only have been entitled to a “very modest” amount of $20,000 in damages given the limited nature of any harm caused by Ten’s reporting, the judge said. Read.
While a speech by Lisa Wilkinson on Logies about The Project segment derailed the criminal proceedings against Lehrmann and denied her the right to a fair trial, this gave her legal team more time to attack Ms Higgins’ allegations.
The criminal proceedings against Lehrmann were abandoned in 2022 without any conclusions being reached against him.
“Having escaped the lion’s den, Mr. Lehrmann made the mistake of going back for his hat,” Judge Lee said.
Judge Lee described both Lehrmann and Ms Higgins as “unreliable historians” in recounting what happened that fateful night.
The judge said Ms Higgins had not told the truth regarding allegations made to Ten in 2021 that members of the then coalition government had tried to silence her by reporting the alleged rape.
But Judge Lee concluded that any incorrect statements made to police in 2019 were not inconsistent with comments made by a genuine victim of sexual assault.
Judge found any of Brittany Higgins’ incorrect statements to police in 2019 explainable
The judge also criticized Ten for his conduct after Wilkinson gave a speech at Logie in which he praised Higgins’ courage just eight days before Lehrmann’s criminal trial.
The judge noted that Ms Wilkinson sought advice but Network Ten failed her by suggesting she make the speech in support of Ms Higgins.
“Diez’s conduct… was grossly inappropriate and unjustifiable.”