A fresh date has been set for a judgment in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case following a delay for explosive evidence to be heard.
The Federal Court's Justice Michael Lee is set to deliver his decision in the high-profile civil case on Monday, April 15.
Mr Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a 2021 The Project interview which aired Brittany Higgins' allegation of being rape inside Parliament House.
The country was initially set to hear a judgment in the case last Thursday, when Ten was instead permitted to reopen its case to adduce 11th hour evidence.
That evidence, later described by the judge as "sordid", came from former Seven Network producer Taylor Auerbach.
Mr Auerbach took to the witness box to throw several accusations about Mr Lehrmann's dealings with Seven ahead of exclusive television interviews.
He claimed Mr Lehrmann had leaked confidential criminal court documents to Seven, and that the network had reimbursed the former Liberal staffer for drugs, sex workers, dinners and accommodation in order to court him.
Mr Lehrmann and Seven deny the allegations.
Whether the last-minute evidence will factor into Mr Lehrmann's credit or the question of abuse of process, as intended by Ten, remains to be seen.
Mr Lehrmann was not named in the television interview at the centre of a month-long civil trial last year, but he claims being identifiable and defamed as the accused man.
"My client has been publicly maligned, as certainly the most prominent rapist," barrister Matthew Richardson SC told the court in November.
In defending the civil action against them, Ms Wilkinson and Ten have aimed to prove the rape allegation was substantially true and that they reported it reasonably and professionally.
Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins when the pair worked together in early 2019.
His criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct, with the charge of sexual intercourse without consent levelled at him later discontinued.
No criminal findings have been made against him.
The decision is set to be heard from Sydney at 10.15am on Monday next week.
Tim Piccione
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
Tim is a journalist with the Canberra Times covering the ACT courts. He came to the nation's capital via the Daily Advertiser in Wagga. Contact: tim.piccione@canberratimes.com.au.
