A former Channel Seven employee hints at a tell-all book about his dealings with ‘a controversial figure accused of rape’, following his evidence at Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation trial.
Taylor Auerbach was one of the producers responsible for securing two exclusive interviews with Lehrmann on the network’s Spotlight program, which aired in June and August 2023.
During Lehrmann’s case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson last December, the Federal Court heard the former staffer’s rent was covered for a year in exchange for those interviews at a cost of about $105,000.
However, Mr Auerbach then came forward in April and claimed Seven not only covered Lehrmann’s accommodation costs, but that it spent thousands on cocaine, prostitutes, and $10,000 Thai massages.
The defamation trial reopened in light of Mr Auerbach’s allegations – which Lehrmann and Seven have denied – and he was called to the witness stand to answer questions about his time at Spotlight.
On Saturday night, he took to social media to tell his 3,374 followers that artificial intelligence had given him a glowing review for the first chapter of his forthcoming novel.
He does not have a publisher, but described his work as ‘one helluva yarn’.
Taylor Auerbach is pictured outside the Federal Court in April. He was a producer for Seven’s Spotlight program
Bruce Lehrmann is pictured on an episode of Channel Seven’s Spotlight program
‘I’ve been writing a book!’ he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
‘I don’t have a publisher – rather, I’m just having a crack, to see if I can do it. It might never be read by anybody but me. And I’m only an each-way bet.’
‘Fiction/Non-fiction? It would be crass to say.’
Mr Auerbach posted a screenshot of the first chapter, which read more like a blurb and strongly alluded to his former Spotlight bosses and Lehrmann, though he fell short of naming them.
‘The story revolves around a series of events involving a group of individuals connected to the media and political landscape in ,’ the excerpt read.
‘It follows the interactions and dynamics between these characters, including a producer, government consultants, and a controversial figure accused of rape.’
The book also promised to explore themes of ‘media manipulation, power dynamics, and the ethical implications of reporting on sensitive issues,’ along with the ‘consequences of personal and professional decisions’.
Mr Auerbach also shared the overwhelmingly positive feedback he got from an artificial intelligence chatbot, which described his writing prowess as advanced and coherent.
Taylor Auerbach posted an excerpt of his forthcoming novel on social media on Saturday night (pictured)
Taylor Auerbach also posted an excerpt of the first chapter (left) and a glowing review by AI (right)
‘Based on this excerpt, the writer demonstrates a high level of proficient in crafting detailed narrative prose.
‘The writing is coherent and flows smoothly, maintaining the reader’s interest throughout.
‘Overall, the writer’s proficiency appears to be advances, with a talent for storytelling and attention to detail.’
The four people who commented on the post were encouraging, with three telling Mr Auerbach they would ‘definitely’ read the book.
His next social media post was at midnight on Saturday and made no mention of the book.
It was a blog-like recount of his quest to order McDonald’s from a restaurant in Melbourne that was only taking deliveries.
‘The local McDonald’s won’t serve me at counter, but will honour Uber Eats orders, so I’ve ordered Uber Eats to the local McDonald’s,’ he wrote, with a selfie of him collecting his order outside the store.
Despite Mr Auerbach’s explosive claims against Lehrmann and his former bosses in court during the defamation case in December, his evidence had a relatively small impact on Justice Michael Lee’s judgement on April 15.
Lehrmann had launched defamation proceedings over an interview Brittany Higgins did on The Project in 2021, during which she told Wilkinson that she was raped by a male colleague in Parliament House in 2019.
A Federal Court judge found Bruce Lehramnn had most likely raped Brittany Higgins (pictured in blue) in Parliament House in 2019
Lehrmann was not named in the broadcast, but sued over claims that friends and colleagues were able to identify him as Ms Higgins’ rapist.
However, his case toppled when Justice Lee found that Lehrmann had most likely raped Ms Higgins in the way she described on television, to police, and in two courts.
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Mr Auerbach’s evidence led Justice Lee to accept Mr Lehrmann had been ‘less than candid’ in his recollection about how Seven interview came about, and the compensation he received from the network.
His testimony appeared to fortify Justice Lee’s negative assessment of Lehrmann, who was branded in the judgement as a lying rapist, but he also noted Mr Auerbach was motivated by resentment for his former employer.
‘This is a man who desperately wanted to do as much damage to his previous employer as he could conceivably do,’ the judge said.
‘That doesn’t mean he’s not a truth teller, but don’t put him up as some sort of noble public interested person who was coming along to get something off his chest because he thought he’d assist his majesty’s justices.’
‘He’s a man who wanted to make a range of allegations against people under absolute privilege.’
Mr Auerbach left his job at Channel Seven last year to join Sky News. He is now self-employed as the director of his own consultancy firm.