Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has won her bid to access the trust fund of her former staffer Brittany Higgins, which contains the $2.4 million that Higgins received in a settlement from the Commonwealth.
Reynolds’ success comes just before the two engage in a defamation lawsuit initiated by the senator. She has alleged that Brittany Higgins and her husband David Sharaz damaged her reputation through social media posts in July 2023.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Peter Quinlan ruled that Reynolds would be granted access to the $2.4m trust deed, as a means to ensure that if the senator wins the defamation proceeding, she will be able to pay for costs and damages with the money.
Higgins received the compensation from the federal government, as a financial settlement over her allegations of negligence and victimisation in the government’s handling of her alleged rape by Bruce Lehrmann in 2019.
Lehrmann vehemently denies these allegations. However, in a civil defamation trial he initiated against Network 10, Justice Michael Lee ruled that on a balance of probabilities, the rape did occur. The criminal trial ended in a mistrial and was not continued.
A lawyer for Higgins told the court that currently she only has $10,000 to her name, which resulted in the call from Quinlan to allow the trust to be accessed.
The judge ruled that Higgins’ intent behind setting up the trust in 2022 would not be investigated during the trial. Additionally, Quinlin attempted to see if either party would be willing to settle.
“I don’t want to sound like King Canute trying to hold back the ocean,” Quinlin said.
“It’s not too late for these parties to take the resolution of all disputes between them into their own hands.”
Despite his efforts, Brittany Higgins and Linda Reynolds’ defamation trial is currently set to begin on August 2.
{Image: Getty]
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