High Court Rejects Bruce Lehrmann’s Final Bid to Appeal Defamation Ruling

Australia’s High Court has refused to hear former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s attempt to overturn the outcome of his failed defamation case, closing the door on his last legal avenue. The decision leaves intact the Federal Court’s ruling that, on the balance of probabilities, Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.

Lehrmann had already lost an appeal against the Federal Court’s findings last year. His application to the High Court represented his final opportunity to challenge the judgment, but the nation’s highest court declined to grant special leave.

The ruling cements the Federal Court’s conclusion and brings an end to Lehrmann’s efforts to contest the outcome through Australia’s judicial system.