Stunning last minute twist as Brittany Higgins questions if she was 'DRUGGED ... trends now
Brittany Higgins has questioned whether she was allegedly drugged and raped in Parliament House, fresh court documents reveal.
The revelations were made in a submission written by lawyer Leon Zwier on Ms Higgins' behalf and tendered to the Federal Court on Tuesday in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation trial.
In her submissions, Ms Higgins responded to questions raised about her controversial taxpayer-funded $2.4million compensation package.
And she gave three key reasons why she says she did not lie while giving evidence about her alleged rape.
Mr Lehrmann sued Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson over an episode on The Project in 2021, during which Ms Higgins first alleged Mr Lehrmann raped her in Parliament House when they were both Liberal staffers in 2021.
Mr Lehrmann strongly denies the allegations. He was not named in the broadcast but claims friends and family members were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
Justice Michael Lee invited Ms Higgins to make a submission to 'avoid any suggestions that she was denied procedural fairness' before he delivered his judgement, which has now been set for 10.15am on Monday.
Brittany Higgins (pictured) made submissions to the Federal Court on Thursday
'A number of allegations have been made arising out of the evidence prior to the reopening concerning the behaviour of most particularly Ms Higgins,' Justice Lee said on Thursday.
'Certainly in relation to Ms Higgins, it's going to be necessary for me to make findings.'
In her submission, Ms Higgins pointed out that she was only a witness in the defamation trial in December, and not a party to the proceedings.
Ms Higgins said she would have more rigorously explored some of the evidence tendered to the court which may have called her credibility into question.
'Was I drugged?'One example she used was a document called the 'master chronology', tendered by former Channel Seven employee Taylor Auerbach last Tuesday, noting an entry by senior Australian Federal Police officer Leanne Cross.
According to the document, that entry was a record of a phone call Ms Cross had with Ms Higgins' former bosses in April 2019, then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds and her chief of staff Fiona Brown.
In Ms Higgins' submission, Ms Cross had said: 'I also have concerns from info I heard that this may have happened before or could happen again. (I was referring to info that alleged victim may have been drugged).
'[AFP officer Paul Sherring] – we need to speak to a range of people. Security staff cleaners may have info.'
Ms Higgins said in the document that she was not aware of any suggestion that she was drugged, and said the topic had not been 'raised or explored in these proceedings'.
'While there is evidence now that there was 'info' that Ms Higgins was drugged ... the basis upon which the concerns were held was not explored,' she said.
'In the context of a serious challenge to the honesty and accuracy of Ms Higgins' account of the events of the night in question, the potential that her perceptive and recollective abilities may have been affected other than by alcohol and trauma is an issue that she would have wished to explore.'
Brittany Higgins is pictured in white, next to Bruce Lehrmann in a light blue shirt, at the pub before her alleged rape
Ms Higgins said in her submission that the nature and purpose of her $2.4million settlement deed with the Commonwealth was not explored by the court, and it would therefore be 'grossly unfair' to use it against her.
Her civil claim against the Commonwealth was settled in December 2022 after just one day of mediation, and
