Seven Network and law firms Herbert Smith Freehills and Addisons are fighting Fairfax’s bid for communications relating to Ben Roberts-Smith’s unsuccessful defamation case, as the publisher seeks its significant defence costs.
ABC and Network Ten have dropped their fight in a defamation case by former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann over missing CCTV footage from the night of Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape, after learning the footage was automatically overridden.
Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has filed an appeal after he lost his defamation case against Nine-owned Fairfax in a ruling that found he committed murder in Afghanistan and was not a reliable witness.
ABC and Network Ten are “very concerned” that Parliament House claims to not have CCTV footage from the night former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann allegedly raped Brittany Higgins, and have flagged an application to question a government officer over the claim.
The office of the special investigator wants access to evidence in Ben Roberts-Smith’s failed defamation case, a court has heard, while Fairfax says it needs to see invoices from Herbert Smith Freehills to the soldier’s financial backer, Seven chairman Kerry Stokes, in its bid for costs.
The Australian Federal Police will investigate concerns that restricted material produced during the criminal trial of accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann was leaked to select media outlets.
The ABC acted with malice when it aired Brittany Higgins’ defamatory National Press Club speech in full, and the broadcaster’s public interest defence won’t save it, accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann has said.
A judge has published his reasons for tossing Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation lawsuits over publications accusing him of war crimes, saying the former SAS corporal was not “honest and reliable”.
Former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has lost his defamation case against Nine-owned Fairfax, with a judge finding Thursday it was true that Australia’s most decorated soldier committed civilian murders in Afghanistan.
The judge overseeing defamation cases brought by accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith will deliver his long-awaited findings next week, ruling on whether allegations of civilian murder in Afghanistan against the country’s most decorated living soldier are substantially true.