Federal Court Justice Michael Lee granted an extension of time sought by the former Liberal staffer to bring the lawsuit outside the normal 12-month period today.Bruce Lehrmann will be allowed to proceed with his defamation proceedings.Brittany HigginsThe lawsuits, filed in February, came after the usual window required for most defamation cases, meaning a judge must grant permission for them to proceed.
Commencing civil proceedings risked him being required to give evidence, as opposed to being entitled to silence as the accused in a criminal trial.Ten, News and journalists Lisa Wilkinson and Samantha Maiden attempted to shut down the cases by urging the court to reject the dual applications for an extension of time.