Off to trial for Brittany Higgins and Linda Reynolds
Brittany Higgins, her partner David Sharaz and her former boss Linda Reynolds are making plans to go to trial to decide Senator Reynolds’ defamation case against the couple.
Brittany Higgins, her partner David Sharaz and her former boss Linda Reynolds are making plans to go to trial to decide Senator Reynolds’ defamation case against the couple.
A month after mediation in Perth failed to resolve the matter, lawyers for all three talked to Supreme Court judge Paul Tottle at a directions hearing about what form the trial should take. Senator Reynolds’ lawyer, Martin Bennett, told the court Ms Higgins’ social media post on the morning of mediation on March 4 was aggravation. On that day, Ms Higgins shared a post that said: “I won’t stay silent so you can stay comfortable.”
Senator Reynolds will argue the couple defamed her on social media in a “concerted plan”, Mr Bennett told the court.
He intended to call between 17 and 20 witnesses, including Senator Reynolds’ parliamentary colleagues, friends, family and doctors. Ms Higgins alleged Bruce Lehrmann raped her at Parliament House in 2019 when they both worked for Senator Reynolds. Mr Bennett told the court on Wednesday that Ms Higgins had previously claimed she was ostracised in the period immediately after that, when she continued to work for the Liberal government in Perth.
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