Lisa Wilkinson speaks out after winning defamation case brought forward by Bruce Lehrmann – as she sends a message to the women of Australia

Lisa Wilkinson has spoken out after winning the defamation case brought forward by Bruce Lehrmann – after a judge found he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.

Mr Lehrmann was suing Network Ten and Wilkinson for defamation over a February 2021 report on The Project in which Brittany Higgins claimed he raped her in a Parliament House office almost two years prior. 

Delivering his judgement, Justice Michael Lee found Mr Lehrmann was indifferent to whether a drunk Brittany Higgins consented or not before he raped her at Parliament House. 

‘Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins,’ Justice Lee of the night as he ruled in favour of Ten. 

Outside court, a vindicated Ms Wilkinson said: ‘Today the federal court has found that I published a true story about a rape at a federal politician’s office in March 2019.

‘I sincerely hope the judgment gives strength to women around the country. 

‘I’m also so grateful to have had the benefit of our independent legal team’.

She thanked her barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, her supportive family and friends and ‘generous’ members of the public who often approach her in tears.

‘Her expertise and wise council have been a source of ongoing strength to me for the past 14 months.

‘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 can never thank them enough. 

‘I also wanted to say how grateful I am to members of the public who approached me almost every single day to express often through tears their unwavering support.’

In contrast, Mr Lehrmann didn’t say a word as he charged through the press pack following the ruling.

The former Liberal staffer sat with his head bowed while listening to the judge’s findings. 

‘He was a 23-year-old male cheating on his girlfriend, having just ‘hooked up’ with a woman he found sexually attractive,’ Justice Lee said. 

‘Human experience suggests what he then wanted to happen is not exactly shrouded in mystery.’ 

The judge said Mr Lehrmann was ‘hellbent on having sex with a woman he found sexually attractive, had been mutually passionately kissing and touching … and knew had reduced inhibition.’

‘He did not care one way or the other whether Ms Higgins understood or consented to what was going on.

If the 28-year-old had 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 hurt from Ten’s reporting, Justice Lee said. 

While a Logies speech by Lisa Wilkinson over The Project segment derailed criminal proceedings against Lehrmann and denied him the right to a fair trial, this gave his legal team more time to attack Ms Higgins’ allegations.

The criminal trial against Lehrmann was abandoned in 2022 with no findings made against him.

‘Having escaped the lions’ den, Mr Lehrmann made the mistake of going back for his hat,’ Justice Lee said.

Justice Lee described both Lehrmann and Ms Higgins as ‘unreliable historians’ when recounting what occurred on that fateful night. 

The judge said Ms Higgins had been loose with the truth regarding allegations made to Ten in 2021 that members of the then-coalition government had sought to silence her in reporting the alleged rape. 

But Justice Lee found that any incorrect statements made to the police in 2019 were not inconsistent with remarks being made by a genuine victim of sexual assault. 

The judge also slammed Ten for its conduct after Wilkinson made a Logie speech where she hailed Higgins’ courage just eight-days before the criminal trial of Lehrmann.

The judge pointed out that Ms Wilkinson did seek advice, but Network Ten failed her by suggesting she deliver the speech in support of Ms Higgins. 

‘The conduct of Ten … was grossly improper and unjustifiable.’