Senator Linda Reynolds Files New Lawsuit Against Brittany Higgins

Senator Linda Reynolds has initiated a new lawsuit against Brittany Higgins and the company managing the trust fund designed to protect the former political staffer’s multimillion-dollar compensation payment.

In December 2021, Higgins was awarded a $2.4 million Commonwealth compensation payment due to the hurt and distress, lost earnings, medical expenses, and legal fees stemming from her alleged rape that occurred in Parliament House.

A writ lodged in the Supreme Court of Western Australia by Reynolds’ legal team claims that Power Blazers Pty Ltd acts as trustee for the Brittany Higgins Protective Trust. This appointment followed Higgins’ retirement as trustee in February 2022.

Reynolds asserts that the trust was established with the intention of circumventing or delaying Higgins’ creditors, which includes herself. The senator is seeking to have the court annul the trust and to have the assets, which are believed to comprise a substantial part of the $2.4 million payout, reverted back into Higgins’ control.

This new lawsuit emerges as Reynolds is concluding her defamation trial against Higgins related to several social media posts published in July 2023 that Reynolds claims have harmed her reputation. Higgins is defending against this lawsuit.

In a recent court session, Reynolds’ legal team suffered a setback when they sought to summon the psychiatrist who provided a report contributing to Higgins’ $2.4 million payout. The request was made by lawyer Martin Bennett, who highlighted inconsistencies in two reports authored by Dr. Julio Clavijo regarding Higgins.

Justice Paul Tottle ruled against this late request, stating that any potential testimony from Dr. Clavijo would be too removed from the central harassment issue at hand. The court’s focus will be on Reynolds’ conduct.

Bennett has also filed for the reports to be escalated to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, a decision anticipated to be determined in the near future.

The allegations in question stem from an incident on March 23, 2019, in which Higgins asserts that she was raped by her colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Reynolds’ office. Lehrmann, who has continuously denied the allegations, pleaded not guilty in a 2022 criminal trial which was ultimately aborted due to juror misconduct.

Furthermore, a federal court found in April that the rape allegation was substantiated on a balance of probabilities in a separate case involving Lehrmann, who is currently appealing that verdict.

During Reynolds’ defamation trial, Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Leanne Close recounted her alarm upon realizing she was in what could be considered a crime scene while meeting with Reynolds to discuss the alleged assault.

Close indicated that her awareness of the allegation of sexual assault was only confirmed during that meeting, where Reynolds pointed out the couch where the incident allegedly took place.

The trial continues with ongoing developments surrounding these complex legal issues.