Bruce Lehrmann has reached an out-of-court settlement with News Corp, bringing an end to his defamation battle with the media company and one of its high-profile journalists.
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The former Liberal Party staffer sued the publisher of news.com.au and the website's political editor, Samantha Maiden, over the initial reporting of Brittany Higgins' rape allegations.
Mr Lehrmann was not named as the alleged rapist in the February 2021 coverage, which revealed Ms Higgins claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a male colleague at Parliament House while working for Senator Linda Reynolds.
Claiming readers were nevertheless able to identify him six months before he was ultimately charged, he was set to seek damages at a trial in November.
However, Federal Court records show Mr Lehrmann's lawyers filed a notice of discontinuance on Tuesday.
Lisa Muxworthy, the editor-in-chief of news.com.au, said the articles at the centre of the dispute remained online and had been updated with an editorial note.
"Bruce Lehrmann commenced defamation proceedings claiming that this article accused him of sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins," the note reads.
"These proceedings were discontinued and settled on terms satisfactory to Mr Lehrmann and the publisher of this website.
"News.com.au notes that a criminal charge of sexual assault was brought against Mr Lehrmann and later dropped.
"News.com.au does not suggest that he was guilty of that charge."
There was no apology or correction and Ms Muxworthy said Mr Lehrmann had not been paid any damages, though "a contribution" had been made to his legal fees.
Ms Muxworthy said news.com.au stood by its reporting.
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"We thank Ms Brittany Higgins for telling her story and for all that she has endured in making that choice to improve the system for complainants," she said.
"We will continue to report on the general issues surrounding sexual assault allegations, our justice system and how to improve that system for men and women.
"We continue to stand by the Australian women and men who sparked a national reckoning in the wake of this important story to drive change, reform and debate about our justice system."
Messages seeking comment have been left with Mr Lehrmann's solicitor, Paul Svilans, and one of his barristers, Matthew Richardson SC.
Mr Lehrmann is still pursuing defamation claims against Network Ten and presenter Lisa Wilkinson over a February 2021 broadcast.
That case, which was due to be heard alongside the claims against News Corp and Ms Maiden, relates to an interview Ms Wilkinson conducted with Ms Higgins for The Project.
Mr Lehrmann is also separately suing the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for defamation over its live coverage of Ms Higgins addressing the National Press Club in February 2022.
The remaining respondents are all defending the claims against them.
