Bruce Lehrmann has filed an appeal to overturn a damning defamation judgment that branded him a rapist – and he’s representing himself.
Lehrmann lost his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson on April 15 when Federal Court Judge Michael Lee found on the balance of probabilities that he raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.
In the findings, Judge Lee labeled the former Liberal staffer a liar with a “weak” commitment to the truth, whose testimony could only be believed if it could be corroborated by someone else.
Referring to the former Liberal staffer’s failed 2022 rape trial, the judge quipped: “After escaping the lion’s den, Mr. Lehrmann made the mistake of coming back for his hat.”
Along with a shattered reputation, Lehrmann faced bankruptcy after the judge ordered that he cover his opponent’s legal costs – which amounted to more than $2.5 million.
Daily Mail Australia can now reveal that Lehrmann drafted, filed and served the notice of appeal himself before the Friday afternoon deadline, rather than instructing lawyers to do so on his behalf because he is self-represented.
Lehrmann, a second-year law student, has asked for a new judge to overrule Judge Lee’s decision and enter a judgment in his favor, and for Ten and Wilkinson to pay for the primary proceedings and appeal.
It comes just one day before Ms Higgins ties the knot with her long-term boyfriend, David Sharaz, at a $20 million estate on the Gold Coast.
Bruce Lehrmann is photographed outside the Federal Court on April 15, following his defamation loss
The appeal comes one day before Brittany Higgins and her fiancé David Sharaz (pictured together) get married
Lehrmann was represented during the initial proceedings by defamation agency Mark O’Brien Legal, who filed the original claim on his behalf last February and worked for him on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
The former Liberal staffer declined to comment when contacted Friday, but it is believed financial pressure played a key role in his decision to pursue the appeal without an instructional agency.
Sydney’s top barrister, Guy Reynolds SC, provided him with a 20-page memorandum of advice for the appeal on a pro-bono basis.
Former crown prosecutor Margaret Cuneen SC – who successfully represented ex-Wallaby Kurtley Beale during his sexual assault case – has also been tipped to help with the case, along with Steven Whybrow SC.
Lehrmann may be required to provide security costs prior to an appeal. Failure to pay may result in the appeal not proceeding.
Daily Mail Australia understands the notice sets out four grounds for appeal, including that Judge Lee denied Lehrmann’s procedural fairness, and that findings regarding the truth defense were contrary to the evidence.
Other arguments also allege that Judge Lee constructed and misinterpreted the rape allegations, and that Lehrmann should have been awarded damages.
Lisa Wilkinson and her lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC are photographed outside the Federal Court in April after winning the defamation case
Lisa Wilkinson is pictured giving her Logies speech, which caused the criminal trial against Lehrmann to be postponed
During the initial proceedings, Lehrmann had filed a request for aggravated damages over Wilkinson’s Logies speech in 2022.
In the speech, which was broadcast nationally eight days before Lehrmann’s criminal trial, Wilkinson referred to Ms Higgins as a proven rape victim rather than an alleged victim.
The speech resulted in the rape trial being moved due to concerns that jurors may have watched the broadcast or read media commentary and formed their opinions of Lehrmann based on it.
Judge Lee discovered that Wilkinson’s behavior in delivering her Logies speech was ‘inappropriate and unjustifiable’, and agreed Lehrmann’s claim that the speech undermined his right to a fair trial.
However, he did not award the former employee any compensation.
After the ruling in April, Ms Higgins released a statement on Instagram saying she felt vindicated: “I was raped. No amount of judgment could ever change this truth.”
“I lived with the shame, humiliation and fear of what telling my story would mean for my life and career, like so many other victims.”
If Lehrmann’s appeal is successful, Ms. Higgins may not be able to call him her “rapist.”
Lehrmann launched a defamation action last year following an episode of The Project in February 2021, in which Ms Higgins first made her rape allegations in an interview with Wilkinson.
He was subsequently tried in a month-long hearing in the ACT Supreme Court in October 2022, but the case was dropped after the trial ended due to juror misconduct.
Two months later, the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions dropped the case altogether, citing concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Lehrmann was not named on The Project broadcast, but claimed friends and colleagues were able to identify him as Ms Higgins’ rapist.
He has consistently denied raping Ms Higgins.
