Why Bruce Lehrmann's was always going to sue Lisa Wilkinson after Brittany ... trends now
Pictured: Bruce Lehrmann outside NSW Federal Court in March
Bruce Lehrmann was 'always going to sue' Lisa Wilkinson because she was at the top of his 'hit list', the Federal Court has heard.
The TV host's barrister Sue Chrysanthou on Thursday pointed to a Daily Mail Australia article, published in December, that said Wilkinson was at the top of Mr Lehrmann's list of people to sue in a defamation lawsuit.
Mr Lehrmann filed lawsuits last month against Wilkinson, Channel 10, digital website news.com.au and journalist Samantha Maiden for defamation over a TV interview and online article during which Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House in 2019.
He was not named in both articles, published on February 15, 2021, but claims multiple people in his circle were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
An interlocutory hearing is considering whether there should be an extension to the 12-month limitation period in which an applicant is allowed to sue for defamation. Mr Lehrmann filed the cases two years after publication.
In court on Thursday, Ms Chrysanthou argued the limit should not be extended and spoke about why Mr Lehrmann never sent a concerns notice to say he intended to sue Wilkinson for defamation.
'Why did he not file a concerns notice, ever? Why was there no letter of demand saying 'I intend to sue you, be on notice',' she asked.
'You send a concerns notice to settle - he didn't want to settle with my client.'
'He was happy to settle with Network 10, happy to settle with Samantha Maiden, happy to settle with news, but not my client'.
Mr Lehrmann's lawyer Matthew Richardson SC argued it was unreasonable for his client to have launched a defamation
