Magistrate, 71, agrees to give mother of dead 23yo partner half her death payment

A magistrate who had a controversial relationship with a young court clerk 45 years his junior has reached a death benefit claim settlement with her mother.

Ashleigh Petrie and Rodney Higgins. Pictures: Instagram

The mother of a young Victorian court clerk who took her own life after her controversial relationship with an older magistrate was made public has reached a settlement over her daughter’s superannuation and life insurance benefits.

Victorian Magistrate Rodney Higgins was involved in an ongoing dispute with the mother of his former partner Ashleigh Petrie following her death, controversially claiming her superannuation death benefit for himself.

Ashleigh Petrie and Rodney Higgins. Picture: Facebook

Ashleigh Petrie was the young fiancee of Victorian magistrate Rodney Higgins.

But in an agreement made public on Thursday evening, Mr Higgins settled with the mother, two years after Ms Petrie’s death.

The confidential settlement is reportedly around half of the death benefits, according to A Current Affair, which aired the story.

Young court clerk Ashleigh Petrie was the fiancee of Victorian magistrate Rodney Higgins.

It comes after the magistrate, 71, defended his decision to claim Ashleigh Petrie’s $180,000 superannuation and life insurance benefits, even though she bequeathed the money to her mother.

Ms Petrie was 23 when she died in Metung in October 2019, following a seven-month relationship with Mr Higgins.

It followed media reports about the couple’s engagement.

Mr Higgins earlier this year claimed authorities believed he deserved 100 per cent of Ms Petrie’s death benefit, despite the couple’s short relationship and his triple-figure income.

Their relationship received significant scrutiny due to their age difference and the perceived power imbalance between the couple.

They lived together in Victoria’s Gippsland region for several months.

As a magistrate, Mr Higgins earned $324,000 a year.

Ashleigh Petrie was just 23 when she ran in front of a car after the relationship was made public.

The mother’s lawyer, Kimble Stynes, told ACA the settlement wouldn’t bring back his client’s daughter.

“She is a lady of modest means,” he said.

“I know it’s a cliche, but she is a salt of the earth, hardworking lady living a modest life and also dealing with the very tragic death of her daughter.

“She will never replace the loss of her daughter, but this resolves the matter, a matter which she arguably never wanted to be involved with in the first place.”

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