Defamation

A judge has questioned the relevance of an ex-Seven producer’s “sordid” evidence that the network rewarded him after using company funds to buy sex workers for the accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann, saying both sides had made strong arguments against his and Brittany Higgins’ credibility. 

A judge hearing Bruce Lehrmann’s reopened defamation trial has expressed concern about evidence regarding non-parties to the lawsuit, including a solicitor who is said to have acted for Seven, saying “allegations are being thrown around like a gatling gun”.  

A former Seven producer has given fresh evidence in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation trial that he was alarmed when the accused rapist purchased cocaine and sex workers and agreed to give an interview to Spotlight as long as he was not asked about the night at the centre of the allegations.

A judge presiding over a defamation case by Bruce Lehrmann on Thursday asked lawyers for the Seven Network to explain why it had taken eight months to hand over communications with the accused rapist in answer to a subpoena by Ten. 

Network Ten has won a bid to reopen its defence in a defamation case brought by Bruce Lehrmann, just two days before a judge was set to deliver his decision, after a former producer at Seven claimed the accused rapist lied about leaking thousands of pages of text messages between Brittany Higgins and her former partner. 

Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto will face three defamation cases at the same time — one by former Liberal MP Moira Deeming and two by anti-trans activists over last year’s ‘’Let Women Speak’ rally, which was crashed by neo-Nazis.

Author Peter FitzSimons is seeking costs from Bruce Lehrmann for complying with a subpoena in the former Liberal staffer’s defamation case against Network Ten and FitzSimons’ wife Lisa Wilkinson over the network’s airing of allegations that Lehrmann raped ex-colleague Brittany Higgins.

Did Bruce Lehrmann rape colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019? That is the primary question in the case to be decided by the Federal Court early next month, and the credibility of the two principal protagonists is central to answering that question.

Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto is facing the threat of two more defamation suits by organisers of last year’s anti-trans ‘Let Women Speak’ rally, which was crashed by neo-Nazis.

Law firm Gadens has strengthened its IP and defamation practice with the appointments of a partner and associate from rival Banki Haddock Fiora.