Bruce Lehrmann has lost his high-profile appeal against a defamation ruling that found he raped Brittany Higgins. The federal court upheld a decision from April 2024. That ruling said Lehrmann sexually assaulted Higgins at Parliament House in 2019. Higgins had told her story in a 2021 TV interview. She expressed relief on social media, saying, "Finally, it feels like I can breathe again." She thanked the court and said the defamation case was "once again a rape trial." She spoke about the trauma of her rapist using the legal system against her, calling it a tactic increasing worldwide against #MeToo survivors. Lehrmann denies the assault. A 2022 criminal trial was dropped due to juror problems. At Wednesday's hearing, Lehrmann’s lawyer said he was overwhelmed and may try to take the case to the High Court. Lehrmann must pay $2 million in damages and legal costs after losing the original defamation case and now this appeal. Besides this, Lehrmann faces a separate court case over car theft in Tasmania in November 2024. He denies stealing a Toyota Prado. A warrant was issued after he missed a court appearance due to medical issues, according to his lawyer. Magistrate Robert Webster warned the warrant could be activated if Lehrmann does not show up with a medical certificate.