More details have been revealed about former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation action against media companies Network Ten and News Life Media.

Mr Lehrmann lodged two cases with the Federal Court earlier this week, over media coverage of allegations he raped his former colleague Brittany Higgins.

He maintains his innocence and there have been no findings against him.

In documents lodged with the court, Mr Lehrmann took aim at two interviews with Ms Higgins, both from February 15, 2021.

The first, by journalist Samantha Maiden, appeared on news.com.au, which is owned by News Life Media, and a later version was aired on Network Ten’s program The Project, with Lisa Wilkinson as the interviewer.

Both Maiden and Wilkinson are named as respondents to the defamation action in the court documents.

Mr Lehrmann claims in both interviews he was clearly identifiable to politicians and staffers who knew the pair, even though he was not named.

In the documents lodged with the court, he points to details in the interviews about how both he and Ms Higgins worked in the office of Senator Linda Reynolds, that he was a senior advisor, that they had both been drinking at Canberra bar The Dock and later the nightclub 88mph.

Mr Lehrmann said his personal and professional reputation had been brought into public disrepute, and the way the news items were published was “recklessly indifferent to the truth”.

He also complained he was not given an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Mr Lehrmann has asked the court to order the items to be permanently removed from public view, on YouTube and more broadly online.

And he has called for damages and aggravated damages.

The Federal Court held a short hearing today, where permission to release the documents was granted.

The case will be back before the court next month.