Bruce Lehrmann

Bruce Lehrmann is a former political staffer who has been at the center of a high-profile legal case involving allegations of rape made by his colleague, Brittany Higgins. He is newsworthy due to the recent dismissal of his appeal against a defamation judgment. This judgment found, on the balance of probabilities, that he raped Higgins in Parliament House. Lehrmann had sued Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation, but the court upheld the initial ruling against him. The appeal's dismissal has been described by Higgins as allowing her to "breathe again" after a retraumatizing legal battle. Separately, Walter Sofronoff, who headed the inquiry related to the case, lost his bid to overturn a finding of "serious corrupt conduct" related to leaking information. The case remains significant due to its impact on discussions surrounding sexual assault, workplace safety in political environments, and the handling of such allegations within the Australian legal system.