Australian TV network denies accusations it paid for sex and drugs to secure interview

Former Seven Network producer Taylor Auerbach makes allegations during testimony in separate defamation case

An Australian TV network paid a former political staffer accused of rape for sex and drugs before he agreed to an exclusive interview with the channel, a former producer said during his court testimony.

The TV channel, Seven Network, has denied the allegations that the channel paid for sex and drugs as “pre-production expenses” to secure the interview.

Former Seven Network producer Taylor Auerbach made the allegations during his testimony in a separate defamation case on Thursday. Mr Auerbach, the network’s current affairs programme Spotlight’s former producer, provided an invoice to the federal court on Thursday as evidence, stating that Seven was invoiced by Bruce Lehrmann for expenses incurred during negotiations.

Brittany Higgins, an ex-staffer for former Defence Industry minister Linda Reynolds, went public last year with the allegation that she had been sexually assaulted in a ministerial office in the Parliament House in Canberra in March 2019. Mr Lehrmann is the defendant in the case who has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent and has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.

The allegation rocked the former government led by Scott Morrison as he struggled to placate assuage public anger months before a general election amid reports of sexual abuse, discrimination against women, and misconduct in parliament.

Mr Lehrmann is suing another channel, Network 10, over what he claims are false accusations of rape. Seven Network, which faced scrutiny over its exclusive interview with Mr Lehrmann, asserts that it acted appropriately throughout the proceedings.

“Seven is appalled by the allegations made in recent days. We do not condone the behaviours described in these allegations. They do not reflect the culture of Seven,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.

Seven is not a party to the defamation proceedings.

Mr Auerbach told the court that the negotiations with Mr Lehrmann reportedly included a night in Sydney involving cocaine and sex workers. He testified to negotiations over compensation for Mr Lehrmann’s appearance on Spotlight during his criminal trial, with discussions of a possible $200,000 payment.

Mr Auerbach testified that Mr Lehrmann claimed he needed to replenish his bank account after the incident, which was allegedly done through an invoice to Seven, including $750 labelled as pre-production expenses.

“That was the vaguest of categories we could choose without being deceptive or misleading,” Mr Auerbach told the court.

He was asked by lawyers whether this was paid for by Seven.

“Yes,” he told the court. “Mr Lerhmann told me he received the funds.”

Mr Lehrmann’s lawyer Matthew Richardson, however, questioned this version. “Even the least worldly person in this room, which regrettably is probably me, would know that this is a stretch.”

Journalist Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 are defending against a defamation claim filed by Mr Lehrmann following an interview with Ms Higgins regarding her alleged rape.

Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial for the alleged rape was halted due to juror misconduct and subsequently abandoned due to concerns for Ms Higgins’s well-being. The rape charge against him has now been dropped.

Seven’s Spotlight programme pursued Mr Lehrmann for an interview after he chose not to testify in his criminal trial. In the subsequent two-part exclusive interview with the network, Mr Lehrmann expressed ignorance regarding the circumstances leading to Ms Higgins being found unclothed in their boss’s office and discussed the negative impact of the case on his life.

Seven’s two-part exclusive with Mr Lehrmann was later named as a finalist in Australia’s top media awards in the Scoop of the Year category. But Mr Lehrmann filed a defamation lawsuit against Network 10 and Wilkinson before the story aired, asserting that the alleged assault never occurred and that they severely damaged his reputation.

He was not named in the report by Wilkinson but Mr Lehrmann says he was easily identifiable, the BBC reported.