If you’ve tried to follow Bruce Lehrmann’s legal saga from a distance, it can feel like one case keeps blending into the next. The latest defining moment came on 3 December 2025, when a Full Court of the Federal Court dismissed his appeal against a judgment finding, on the balance of probabilities, that he raped Brittany Higgins (ABC News (national broadcaster)) — this page sorts out the timeline, the key people, and what is still genuinely unresolved.
Defamation case outcome: Lost appeal against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson (ABC News) ·
Civil rape finding: Found on the balance of probabilities (ABC News) ·
Truth defence: Full Court upheld substantial truth (Go To Court Lawyers)
Quick snapshot
- The Full Court found no error in the original judgment (InDaily Queensland).
- The truth defence succeeded; the broadcast material was held to be substantially true (Go To Court Lawyers).
- Whether Lehrmann will seek special leave to the High Court.
- How costs will be finalised and paid.
- Where Brittany Higgins lives and works now.
- Appeal heard over two days in August 2025 (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia)).
- Appeal dismissed on 3 December 2025. (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- The next marker is any High Court special-leave application. (Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia))
- Lehrmann can still apply for special leave to the High Court.
- Costs orders and any enforcement remain part of the civil process.
Six facts, one pattern: a criminal case stopped early, while a civil case produced the finding that stuck.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Appeal outcome | Dismissed by the Full Court on 3 December 2025 (SBS News). |
| Original judgment | Delivered by Justice Michael Lee in April 2024 (Law Society Journal). |
| Criminal case | Abandoned in 2022 without a criminal finding (SBS News). |
| Allegation and broadcast | Alleged assault in March 2019; interview aired in February 2021 (Law Society Journal). |
| Appeal panel | Justices Michael Wigney, Craig Colvin and Wendy Jane Abraham (Law Society Journal). |
| Truth defence | The Full Court upheld the conclusion that the broadcast material was substantially true (Go To Court Lawyers). |
What happened to Bruce Lehrmann?
The short version is that Lehrmann’s criminal prosecution ended without a verdict, but his own defamation case became the forum where the underlying allegation was tested. In April 2024, Justice Lee found on the balance of probabilities that Lehrmann raped Higgins; on 3 December 2025, the Full Court dismissed Lehrmann’s appeal.
Lehrmann avoided a criminal conviction, but he did not avoid a judicial finding. The civil standard is lower than the criminal standard, and that distinction is the heart of the whole saga.
What is the status of his appeal?
- The Full Court dismissed the appeal on 3 December 2025 (SBS News).
- The appeal included claims about procedural fairness and natural justice.
- Justice Michael Wigney said the primary judge did not err in the ways alleged (InDaily Queensland).
The appeal is now exhausted at the Federal Court level. Under Australian law, the remaining avenue is a special-leave application to the High Court.
How did the defamation case conclude?
- Lehrmann sued after the February 2021 interview on The Project.
- Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson defended the broadcast by arguing it was substantially true.
- The Full Court upheld that truth defence (Go To Court Lawyers).
The implication: the defamation case turned into a second examination of the rape allegation, and the civil finding survived appeal.
What are some recent defamation cases in Australia?
The Lehrmann case is the clearest recent example of how a defamation action can end up re-trying the underlying conduct in a civil court. It also shows the weight Australian courts give to the truth defence.
How does the Lehrmann case compare to other high-profile defamation cases?
- Lehrmann v Network Ten: the plaintiff lost, and the truth defence succeeded.
- Lehrmann’s criminal case: the prosecution was abandoned before a jury verdict.
- Federal Court appeal: dismissed, with the original finding upheld.
What makes the case unusual is the legal sequence. A criminal case ended without a conviction, yet a civil defamation case later produced a formal finding against the same person on the same allegation.
What are the implications for media defendants?
For media organisations, the lesson is concrete: publishing an allegation can trigger a truth defence that becomes a full re-run of the conduct, and the publisher wins only if the evidence holds up in open court.
The Full Court’s dismissal sends a clear signal that Australian defamation law will protect publications when the substance of the report is true. It does not protect careless reporting; it protects provable reporting.
The pattern: the media’s success in this case was not about the format of the story. It was about the underlying facts being demonstrated to a civil standard.
Where is Brittany Higgins today?
Higgins did not need to appear in the appeal for it to matter. The Full Court’s task was to review whether Justice Lee’s factual findings were legally flawed, not to hear a new round of evidence from her.
What is her current role or employment?
- No verified detail about a current job appeared in the appeal record.
- The appeal centred on legal error, not on her post-trial career.
The public record still rests mainly on her 2021 interview and the court findings that followed. Her current workplace and residence have not been established in the legal materials cited here.
How has the case affected her life?
The legal fight has always been about Lehrmann’s name and reputation, but the underlying allegation has always been about Higgins and what happened after the alleged assault.
The original judgment in April 2024 was consistent with her account, and the appeal has now confirmed that the original judge made no relevant error. For Higgins, that means the public record still contains a judicial finding that supports her allegation.
The implication: the saga has moved from duelling narratives to a settled legal record, even if the personal details of her life remain private.
What happened to Lisa Wilkinson?
Lisa Wilkinson was the journalist involved in the interview that triggered the defamation case. She was also named as a defendant alongside Network Ten, and her Logies speech became part of the wider public controversy around the case.
What was her Logies speech?
- It publicly referenced Brittany Higgins’ allegation.
- It came after The Project interview and before the criminal trial had concluded.
- It kept Wilkinson at the centre of the political and media storm.
The Logies speech was not the legal trigger for the defamation action; the broadcast interview was. But the speech intensified public attention at a moment when the criminal case was still pending.
How did she become involved in the defamation case?
- The defamation action arose from the February 2021 interview broadcast on The Project.
- Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson were the named defendants.
- Lehrmann did not succeed in his claim.
The appeal did not change Wilkinson’s formal position. She remained a defendant, but the Full Court’s decision reinforced the strength of the defendants’ truth defence.
What happened between Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic?
- The appeal record did not examine their relationship.
- Reports around the Logies speech pointed to tension, but that tension was not part of the legal judgment.
The takeaway: Wilkinson’s role was always intertwined with the broadcast. The court’s focus stayed on whether the broadcast was true, not on her personal reputation.
What is Lisa Wilkinson doing today?
The appeal did not remove Wilkinson from the story. It removed Lehrmann’s last Federal Court chance to change the outcome. Her public footprint remains tied to the case, even though the appeal focused on legal error rather than her behaviour.
Is Lisa Wilkinson still employed?
- The Full Court judgment did not mention her employment.
- Media reporting describes her as continuing to work in public-facing journalism.
No employment change was part of the appeal materials. The case was about the broadcast and its defence, not about Wilkinson’s contract or role.
What illness has Lisa Wilkinson got?
- No diagnosis was part of the court record.
- She has spoken publicly about health challenges, but the appeal materials do not include medical details.
The legal materials cited here do not identify any specific illness. Public comments are separate from the court record.
Where is Lisa Wilkinson living now?
- Her current address was not part of the appeal.
- No court document in the cited record confirms a precise location.
The reliable answer is that the appeal decision does not address her residence. Any more specific claim would go beyond the verified record.
Has Lisa Wilkinson got children?
- She has adult children, according to public profiles.
- The defamation case did not involve them.
Her family background was not central to the Lehrmann litigation.
Are Lisa Wilkinson and Peter FitzSimons still married?
- Yes, according to public reporting.
- The marriage was not part of the legal case.
The implication: most of the personal questions around Wilkinson are outside the judicial record. What the court record establishes is narrower and more important — the truth defence succeeded, and the appeal failed.
Timeline of the saga
- — Alleged sexual assault inside a Parliament House office in Canberra (Law Society Journal).
- — Higgins’ interview with Lisa Wilkinson airs on The Project (Law Society Journal).
- — The criminal prosecution is abandoned without a finding (SBS News).
- — Justice Lee delivers the original defamation judgment (Law Society Journal).
- — The Full Court hears the appeal over two days, according to Wikipedia (collaborative encyclopedia).
- — The Full Court dismisses Lehrmann’s appeal (SBS News).
The pattern: each stage moved the same allegation between different legal standards, and the only finding against Lehrmann came from the civil court.
What is confirmed and what remains unclear
Confirmed facts
- Lehrmann lost his defamation appeal on 3 December 2025 (SBS News).
- The Full Court found no error in the original judgment (InDaily Queensland).
- The criminal prosecution was abandoned in 2022 without a finding (SBS News).
- The truth defence was upheld on appeal (Go To Court Lawyers).
What’s unclear
- Whether Lehrmann will apply to the High Court.
- How costs will be finalised and paid.
- Lehrmann’s long-term career and residency plans.
- Brittany Higgins’ current residence and professional life.
The balance of the record is clear: the appeal has ended, the finding stands, and the remaining questions are about next steps rather than whether the original judgment was sound.
Key quotes
The primary judge did not err in the ways alleged by Lehrmann.
Justice Michael Wigney, Full Court of the Federal Court, as reported by InDaily Queensland
Lehrmann has consistently denied sexually assaulting Higgins.
Bruce Lehrmann, as reported by SBS News
The takeaway: the denials shaped the public story, but the final judicial text is the Full Court’s decision to dismiss the appeal.
For Lehrmann, the legal lane is now narrow: a High Court special-leave application is the only remaining avenue, and a full Federal Court has already said the original judge did not err. For media defendants in Australia, the strategic lesson is sharper than a headline: publishing can trigger a truth defence that becomes a formal re-trial of the underlying allegation, and the civil record can outlast a criminal case that ended without a verdict. For anyone weighing a defamation suit, the choice is clear: only bring the case if you are prepared for the conduct itself to be re-examined in open court.
Frequently asked questions
Did Bruce Lehrmann go to jail?
No. The criminal prosecution was abandoned in 2022 without a verdict. The later civil finding did not impose a prison sentence because it was made under the civil standard, not the criminal standard.
What was the Logies speech about?
It referenced Brittany Higgins’ allegation and drew renewed public attention to the case before the criminal trial had concluded. The appeal judgment itself focused on the broadcast and the truth defence, not on the speech.
How much did Bruce Lehrmann have to pay in costs?
The exact figure is not established in the court materials cited here. Reports at the time described costs running into millions, but no final amount was part of the appeal decision.
Is Network Ten appealing?
No. Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson were the successful defendants in the defamation case. Lehrmann was the appellant, and his appeal was dismissed.
What is the current status of the rape finding?
The Full Court dismissed Lehrmann’s appeal on 3 December 2025, leaving the original civil finding intact. That finding was made on the balance of probabilities, not the criminal standard.
Who is Peter FitzSimons?
Peter FitzSimons is Lisa Wilkinson’s husband and a well-known Australian author and former rugby union player. He was not a party to the defamation case.
What is the connection between Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic?
They co-hosted breakfast television together. Media reports around the Logies speech described strain between them, but the court judgment did not address their personal relationship.
James Mitchell is Editor-in-Chief at Australia Voice, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.