A Hollow 'Victory' - TV HOST Has Nothing to Smile About After Court Win

A young man named Bruce Lehrmann was accused of raping a work colleague in Australia's National Parliament House in 2019, in a sensational prime time national TV interview by his alleged victim two years later.
His accuser, Brittany Higgins, did the TV interview with celebrity news anchor Lisa Wilkinson, before she made an official complaint to police, in a move some claim was part of a politically motivated campaign against the conservative government of the day.
Charged with rape, Lehrmann had his trial sensationally aborted at the very last minute in 2023 due to juror misconduct, so was left unable to clear his name.
Infuriated, he took the case to a civil court in 2024 to seek damages for libel against Wilkinson and her Network, and get a verdict.
But he probably should never have bothered. This past week, the judge in that civil case ruled against him, saying he probably did it.
Judges in such civil cases only have to determine guilt on "the balance of probabilities."
Wilkinson made a triumphant statement outside the court after the ruling. But should she have? We don't think so.
This clip is from Ep309 of THE OTHER SIDE with Damian Coory first published Apr 19, 2024 on ADH.tv
You can watch the full episode and all of ADH TV's great content HERE: www.adh.tv/vid...

[@PhilipBurton-dn3ce]

Lisa is one of Australia's greatest sociopathic narcissists

[@bigjobbies]

no that's the Libs

[@oldmate9747]

Absolutely spot on

[@josephwallis8965]

histrionic, DSM VI, for fame and $ $ $ and lots of $ $ $ $ $logie awards

[@majorlaff8682]

Bruce said he didn't do it. She said she was too drunk to remember. Where's the balance of probability in that? He's innocent.

[@blackprince4074]

If she is too drunk to remember, then she's too drunk to call it rape in court.

[@simongross3122]

This case was not about rape. It was about defamation.

[@majorlaff8682]

@@simongross3122 Exactly correct. He was defamed as he was not found guilty. This judge should find he was defamed or not, not balance probabilities, i.e. guesswork.

[@freedomofchoicelover3734]

plus video evidence showed she wasnt that drunk, dancing through the foyer...yeah my arse she was raped, his clothes were still perfect when he left too

[@donaldwayne4219]

🤔 She didn't appear too drunk walking through Security at Parliament House and easily fixed up her shoe in the footage.

[@SkyHeights-pc3hj]

Lisa won the battle but lost the War. The War was her TV Career. The battle was a Defamation trial with Bruce Lehrmann. Network 10 will recover from the bad publicity, but Lisa will not. Lisa is the most unpopular Journalist in Australian history.

[@MargaretLangley]

Rape was not proven .Higgins had every opportunity to go to police.This whole sordid story is sickening.

[@josephwallis8965]

❤❤Best comment, I had sympathy for her but she had to take a lot of responsibility as well, she destroyed every shred of physical evidence except SMS messages which she could not, she had to ask herself why I had to support her ? Why she did not go to the Police, at least the Police can be charged with corruption or incompetence, so the whole world knows again ?Why, if she felt such vile crime was committed on her, why she thinks her career would be safe or a trading horse ??

[@johnfisher9692]

@@josephwallis8965 And why did she wait years to make her accusation and then spend months publicly screaming rape but withholding the name? If she had gone to the police and revealed the name they would have told her to shut up as she was prejudicing the case while they investigated. Bruce had no chance after she spent all that time whipping the public into a frenzy and when the trial was falling apart on her due to no evidence she suddenly found it too taxing on her mental health. Now she's run away to live a luxury life in France with her ill gotten millions of taxpayer money

[@freedomofchoicelover3734]

and a Dr for a test

[@marylou3995]

And a stain on our justice system.

[@banliveexport325]

Lisa Wilkinson had a short conversation with Brittany Higgins on the phone and decided that Brittany was telling the truth. Lisa and 10 had not spoken to Bruce nor did they have any evidence.

[@johncrow5552]

Ideology does not care about facts.

[@masmainster]

Not sure when Higgins got falling down drunk, the footage of her walking a dead straight line, skipping down the hall, standing on one foot removing her shoe at the security gate doesn't tally with her too drunk to know what was going on claim.

[@wilson2455]

I've said that since the CCTV was released. Her level of intoxication was never questioned by bar staff, parliament security, etc. Just a total lie..

[@johnfisher9692]

@@wilson2455 I would like to see her financial situation prior to her screaming rape. Did they ever bother investigating that? We know it now. Millions in compensation for something that has yet to be proven in a criminal trial by Jury as is the law is Australia. This Judge overstepped his authority and should be punished for his declaring Bruce guilty of a crime in a civil court case.

[@johnnyb1368]

Brittany Higgins is laughing all the way to the bank with 2.4 million dollars.

[@leewright7623]

Of tax payers $

[@memine3704]

Having some legal problems in France last I heard... think her laugh has been stifled somewhat.

[@johnfisher9692]

The decision by this Judge was totally disgusting and he should be dismissed and harshly punished The defamation trial was a CIVIL case and he had absolutely no right to make a ruling on a CRIMINAL case. A Criminal case requires a trial by jury and this Judge denied Bruce his right as outlined by law. This pro Brittany Judge has denied Bruce's his legal rights. He should have kept his mouth shut about any ruling of guilt or innocence.

[@char.s]

Men out there. There is a big lesson to be learnt. Be very careful and always cover you’re arse. .any one can come along and blame you for Something Sinister, that you’re not guilty of. You haven’t got a leg to stand, then you’re BUGGERED!!!!!!!!!!.

[@freedomofchoicelover3734]

Why would Higgins leave the country if she was the real victim...no she left so she wouldnt get caught in the lie

[@YouReallyTypedThat]

It is time to change the defamation laws so that no one can call you a rapist until a court with a jury of 12 unanimously finds you guilty which makes you a rapist. You are not guilty of rape, a rapist, based on probabilities but when a jury of 12 unanimously finds you guilty. This judge should have known better. Fix the law so there are no equivocations between different laws.

[@python27au]

You don’t have to be guilty, just accused. I know a school teacher that was sacked and told he can never teach again because a student pointed a finger. She later admitted she made it up to get back at him, but the teacher is still barred. Another bloke i know was accused of touching a young girl, the court found him innocent but forced him to pay a couple of grand compensation anyway. For the trauma the lying little brat caused.

[@johnfisher9692]

This judge has no right to make that rape ruling and he should be heavily punished if not outright dismissed and his ruling quashed. Trial by Jury is Bruce's right and innocent until proven guilty!!

[@lorrainemckenna3217]

That was the judges opinion which does not prove anything

[@kooringagnd]

Exactly. "I don't like Lehrmann therefore he must be guilty" is what the judge was thinking.

[@timbrandis1151]

Wilkinson's barrister,Sue Chrysanthou,was looking rather apprehensive at that post verdict interview. Wilkinson smug & self-righteous as usual!

[@josephwallis8965]

My fear about Wilkinson is her lack of integrity, if Bruce Lehrman was willing to pay her lot of $ $ $ , then she would say Brittney Higgins was lying ??

[@99gpandy28]

Deceit !

[@ivanf6938]

If Lehrman went back into the lions den to collect his hat then I am seriously at a loss describe what Wilkinson did on the steps of the court. She seriously and unprofessionally misquoted the judgement by saying that she reported a "true story of rape". Especially after the judge went to great pains to explain it was a balance of probabilities decision and not about "truth" or fact. He should haul her back in to court on contempt and explain that the judgment was a slap in the face and not vindication for her questionable self-righteous actions. Vomit-worthy is an understatement.

[@Scott-up3bq]

Her way sorry.i can't stand her

[@thomasarmstrong3804]

Definitely Vomit Inducing

[@altaylor3988]

Wilkinson had to try and regain some credibility but failed. I do not trust Wilkinson, Higgins or Lehrmann....On the balance of Probabilities

[@YouReallyTypedThat]

How correct the three of them lied and the judge said so. Therefore any one of the following possibilities, might have occurred that night in the senator's office. 1. Both Lehrmann and Higgins were "drunk" and neither could have consented. From the evidence "the parliament house film" both were in a similar "drunk" state. 2. Had sex. 3. Had non consensual sex. 4. Nothing happened. My question is how the judge could call Lehrmann a rapist.

[@python27au]

Its just common sense. If you are raped go to police, get it recorded, get the evidence collected, then get the bastard arrested.

[@onlytimewilltell204]

Trial by media

[@ix-Xafra]

I reckon he invited her back to the office to snort coke and bonk on the bosses desk. She stripped off and he couldn't get it up, cos he was too pissed for even coke to help him Then he bolted in embarassment saying he'd be back and she fell asleep with her yaya pointed at the door waiting with anticipation Security went and checked on her when they saw him leave without her. Because she didn't get the relation ship she hoped for she then involved an ex lover and also a new one All this followed her ditching the Tinder date at the first venue Higgins is not the sort of girl I want to see any of my sons dating

[@Azz00000]

Hey Lisa there’s a job counting bottles and cans at our local recyclers , 10cent brain

[@KevinShapland.Australia-xx8bs]

A female acquaintance of the office goes to a venue, drinks enough to get drunk, goes back to the office with a male, alone, unescorted of another person in support, says she went to sleep on the couch. That for one thing, I doubt if any female would put herself in such a vulnerable situation, especially after consuming alcohol, without realising what a more likely event or intentions would happen. Just my personal view from someone who has 70 yrs of life and situations of all levels of life.

[@user-qs4xw7ye5s]

Lisa Wilkinson... 🤢

[@man.i.literally.failed6772]

I cant stand her🤮🤮

[@greghaydon1392]

He said she said, no evidence?

[@tobybrown1179]

Is this somehow tied up with what is happening now in the media with women?

[@Tiberius41]

If I was to guess I would say the sex was consensual and she claimed rape when she looked like losing her job. It’s just a guess but I’m a pretty good guesser. Lol

[@leewright7623]

Well it’s as valid as any claim atm 🤷‍♂️

[@denniskennedy9288]

That what I have always said to many people

[@handle2468]

It’s all a sign of how far society has fallen. Not one of these people is morally intact. And a distraction from more important things.

[@TermsAndConditionss]

Seems like the karma train comes for all. What a horrible situation

[@viaaustralia5388]

I am not a particularly smart person, just average- the issue here that I find threatening and completely overlooked by Australia; is that two junior staffers could get access to Reynolds office, the MINISTER OF DEFENCE after a drunken Friday night. I also find it harrowing that Minister Reynolds crumbled. We would be doomed if we had to face a war.

[@wilson2455]

Curiosity & Integrity require some form of intelligence !!

[@grahamleadbeatter5981]

The balance of probabilities is that they are both lying. Was it probably like this: there was consentual sex, and when she found out that she was getting fired, she turned on the tears and claimed to have been raped. That's the story I would be believe, otherwise why did she follow him into the building. If she just wanted to sleep, she'd have stayed in the cab and had it take her home.

[@littemisscarrage2909]

by the width of its gob it would have a hallway a thousand hotdogs would be loose in

[@andymartinez767]

There was no judtice here. Probability is NOT a part, it should remove DOUBT and PROBABILITY IS DOUBT.

[@edmurks236]

And what about all the fall out still continuing and wrecked peoples lives and their families and who knows what really happened still?

[@josephwallis8965]

Thank you for you seemingly balanced analysis.

[@ronaldparker6726]

LISA SHOULD BE IN JAIL.

[@jacobbluzer3201]

The ONLY person that came out of it with an enhanced reputation was the JUSTICE LEE. Absolutely brilliant.

[@richardharris885]

alleged victims & perpetrators need laws introduced to make it illegal to go to media before a trail during a trail or after a trail a total ban jurors need to be held accountable for their actions in every state in Australia not just in some states and it needs to be made an offence not to report a crime to Police rape sexual assaults etc parliament house should not be allow to have anything to do with a crime in parliament house it needs to be a Police matter only parliament house security guards need to be told that intoxicated staff that want access at any time while intoxicated be refused entry it needs to be made law and security need to be banned from going to media to cover their ass so they wont be sacked they too only talk to Police....media needs to be banned from rape cases period its a Police & a court case matter only

[@andrewdunlop5771]

She’s a commo, what do you expect

[@Tiberius41]

🤮 yep me too.

[@ronaldparker6726]

liss the DRAMA QUEEN. Should be in jail.

[@jhaduvala]

Lisa Wilkinson was after a MeToo story. She milked it.

[@michaelnorthey3108]

A set up you can’t let to me

[@tugdumbly1927]

I’m not sure any of them have any of them have anything to smile about.

[@gerardmcnally]

Poor peter .....

[@marylou3995]

I Rembrandt Lisa, from Beauty & the Beast back in the 70s. Look her up😂

[@davidglendinning3953]

Vomit

[@helenahayes6150]

You were a true hero lisa Wilkinson.

[@freedomofchoicelover3734]

she ruined an innocent mans life...excuse me....she is a disgrace to our country and women who are real victims

[@anitakerry3032]

You must be kidding she is vile and a liar. Higgins is also a liar all for money and fame. They riuned a male for there own agenda ,isn't it obvious that the man is always found guilty no matter what.

[@conservative-proud]

😂😂😂

[@StevieSurname-kg3hq]

Wilkinson is a disgrace.... she should have been charged for her comments at the logies...

[@PatriciaThannhauser]

Lìès lisa