Brittany Higgins was repeatedly untruthful in her evidence to the Commonwealth government, helping her obtain a $2.4 million payout, Bruce Lehrmann's lawyers have claimed.
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"Ms Higgins had a preparedness to tell lies, including elaborate lies, on the most solemn of occasions," the lawyers told the Federal Court.
The barristers claimed those occasions included her settlement deed evidence and her time in the witness box during her former Liberal staffer colleague's ACT criminal trial.
"In the case of the deed, this involved payment of a settlement sum to her that was life changing," the lawyers said in documents published on Friday.
"In the case of the criminal trial, it was the prospect of securing a guilty verdict against the man that she had earlier accused of rape in the most public of forums."
The comments were part of a third round of written submissions filed to Justice Michael Lee since a month-long defamation trial ended in December.
Mr Lehrmann is suing journalist Lisa Wilkinson and Network Ten over a 2021 The Project interview with Ms Higgins, which aired her allegation of being raped inside Parliament House two years earlier.
The judge has reserved his decision, which is expected either later this month or in April.
According to Mr Lehrmann's lawyers, Ms Higgins had an "obsession with securing a vindication" of her allegation.
This was most borne out by her condition of involvement in the recent civil proceedings, the lawyers said, being Ten could not settle with Mr Lehrmann.
"That is an extraordinary position for a witness to take," the lawyers said.
Mr Lehrmann's counsel also presented evidence given by Ms Higgins in settlement deed negotiations and the defamation trial which they say is contradictory and proves untruthfulness.
One example was Ms Higgins telling the Commonwealth Mr Lehrmann got into her taxi "without invitation or agreement" to go home on the night of the assault.
She later told the trial the pair shared the ride because they lived in the same direction.
Another example was Ms Higgins' claim that Mr Lehrmann re-directed the taxi driver to Parliament House. She later told the trial he had, in fact, said that was his intention.
MORE DEFAMATION TRIAL COVERAGE:
Other examples included claims about the pair not speaking at work the following Monday, Ms Higgins' request to view parliament CCTV being rebuffed, and chief of staff Fiona Brown making clear Ms Higgins should "remain silent about the sexual assault".
Mr Lehrmann's lawyers allege Ms Higgins' evidence changed on these topics and others, from her settlement evidence to the trial, or was refuted by other evidence.
"The court would reject Ms Higgins' evidence in its entirety unless corroborated by other independent evidence of contemporaneous documents," they said.
The $2.445 million government settlement in question included $400,000 for "hurt distress and humiliation" and $1.4 million relating to Ms Higgins' loss of earning capacity.
Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins in the early hours of March 23, 2019, when the pair worked for the then-defence industry minister.
His criminal trial was aborted due to juror misconduct and the charge of sexual intercourse without consent levelled at him later dropped over concerns for Ms Higgins' mental health.
No findings have been made against him.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 6247 2525.