Lehrmann's Defamation Battle Ends in High Court Defeat

0:00It's April 9th, Sydney News Today, starts now, AI-powered and ready. Bruce Lerman just hit a dead end in his defamation battle against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. Australia's high court shut down his final appeal bid on Thursday, refusing special leave and ordering him to pay costs. This seals the trial judge's ruling that, on the balance of probabilities, Lerman raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House back in 2019. The saga kicked off when Wilkinson aired Higgins' allegations on the project, prompting Lerman to sue for defamation. He argued the story wrecked his reputation, but the court sided against him after a messy trial full of evidence from both sides. Lerman has stuck to his guns, always denying the assault, and saying he never had sex with Higgins that night. Public reactions split hard supporters saw it as a witch hunt, while others back Higgins' brave account of trauma in the halls of power. He already lost his main appeal last year, narrowing the issues but upholding the core finding.

1:00Now with the high court out, no more legal shots left to rewrite that narrative. This chapter closes on a high stakes clash between media truth telling and personal redemption, leaving Lerman's innocence claim echoing without. Court backing.