Former Western Australia Senator Linda Reynolds at a Liberal Party state conference on Saturday. She quite rightly demanded an apology from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Reynolds urged the Prime Minister to intervene on the years-long saga over Brittany Higgins’ allegations. This circumstance has mired both women in an exhaustive, expensive series of courtroom confrontations and media critiques for more than four years.
In her address, Reynolds expressed the emotional toll that the situation has taken on her and those close to her. She generated that the past four-and-a-half years have been “hell” for her, her spouse, family, staff, and friends. The havoc was kicked off by a spurious accusation. In March 2019, Brittany Higgins alleged that Bruce Lehrmann had raped her in Reynolds’ office.
Legal Battles and Misconduct Claims
Legal proceedings related to Higgins and Lehrmann have been widely seen as deeply flawed. After juror misconduct and fears for Higgins’ wellbeing, criminal charges against Lehrmann were dropped. Last year, Justice Michael Lee ruled in favor of defendants in a separate defamation case. He ruled, on the balance of probabilities, that Higgins had indeed been raped.
Reynolds has faced her own legal battles, most notably a high-profile defamation case against Higgins. Justice Paul Tottle found that three of Higgins’ social media posts had defamed the CCLA. The judge ordered her to pay Reynolds $315,000 in damages and over $26,000 in interest. Reynolds criticized the federal government’s approach to these lawsuits, stating that it should not be spending “hundreds of thousands of dollars defending lawsuits against the Commonwealth” stemming from her and Fiona Brown’s claims.
There still has been no fast resolution for Fiona Brown. For two years she doggedly chased down her own justice. Within a day, Ms. Higgins achieved an incredible $2.4 million settlement. Reynolds added during her speech. Brown was an accomplice of Higgins who similarly got in trouble over the whole case.
Call for Closure
Reynolds called on Prime Minister Albanese to show leadership and put a firm end to the long running saga that has displaced so many lives. She emphasized the need for acknowledgment and closure, saying, “So, Prime Minister, it is time just to end this for everybody and do the right thing.”
Her remarks come at a time of increasing frustration over the permanent effect of the debacle on every. “Surely, Prime Minister, the decent thing is to say sorry and to end it,” Reynolds continued. She highlighted the toll the saga has taken on her mental health and financial circumstances due to what she described as “prosecuting [Higgins’] messages to the great detriment” of her well-being.
Ongoing Legal Concerns
While Reynolds has won her defamation defamation case, the legal tangles over these kinds of allegations continue to play out. Bruce Lehrmann has always denied that he raped Brittany Higgins, and he is appealing Justice Lee’s finding. In April 2023, Reynolds filed a new, stand-alone lawsuit against the Commonwealth. She alleges that the Commonwealth breached its fiduciary duty by not acting in her best interests during settlement negotiations with Higgins in 2021.
Continuing disputes and legal consequences underscore deepening schisms within Australian political life. These problems with sexual assault and accountability are endemic and in need of serious scrutiny. As this saga continues to play out, the need for redemption and resolution increases.
