An impoverished Bruce Lehrmann is about to find out if an appeal of his defamation loss is over or he can continue fighting in court.
Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson have asked for Federal Court orders that he pay $200,000 in security in the event he loses his appeal.
But the former Liberal staffer opposed this move.
He has also asked Justice Wendy Abraham to stay orders he pay $2 million in legal costs to Ten, as well as an as-yet unknown bill for Wilkinson’s defence costs.
The judge is scheduled to hand down her decision on Wednesday.
She heard on October 14 that Lehrmann was living on Centrelink benefits in part because the broadcaster contributed to his image as a rapist.
“They are one of the contributors as to why he’s pretty much unemployable,” his lawyer Zali Burrows told the court.
Ten has already served a bankruptcy notice on Lehrmann but agreed not to take any further steps until the appeal is resolved.
The 29-year-old sued over a February 2021 report on The Project interviewing Brittany Higgins about her allegations she was sexually assaulted in Parliament House in March 2019.
In April, Justice Michael Lee ruled that Lehrmann sexually assaulted Higgins in Parliament House based on the balance of probabilities.
Lehrmann denies the claim and is not facing criminal charges over the incident after his trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.
Ten’s barrister Matt Collins KC pushed for the $200,000 payment, saying it was not in the public interest to allow the appeal.
Wilkinson’s barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC said Lehrmann had sued by choice after escaping a criminal conviction or acquittal.
“His impecuniosity did not deprive him of having his day in court and he’s had it,” she said.
“Why should he get another?”
Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.
