After five years, one aborted criminal trial and millions of dollars in legal fees, Justice Michael Lee handed down his judgment in the defamation case that Bruce Lehrmann brought against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson.

Justice Lee found that Bruce Lehrmann had raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, and dismissed Lehrmann’s defamation claim.

The judgment, which was delayed at the 11th hour, was delivered in great, and at times colourful, detail.

The decision does not amount to a finding of criminal guilt. Lehrmann’s criminal trial was aborted in October 2022 due to juror misconduct and the charges were later dropped altogether owing to concerns about Higgins’ mental health.

Today, legal affairs reporter Michaela Whitbourn on the extraordinary findings from an at-times squalid and politically and socially charged case, and what it means for everyone involved.

And, a warning for listeners, this episode contains repeated descriptions of sexual assault.

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