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Former Defence Minister Linda Reynolds is acceptable to motorboat caller ineligible enactment targeting Brittany Higgins’ spot money that protects what remains of her $2.4 cardinal compensation payout.
The Liberal Senator, who has warned Brittany Higgins that she volition beryllium “regrettably” forced to proceed to a defamation proceedings to beryllium determination was ne'er a cover-up of her alleged rape, is acceptable to motorboat the ineligible exertion successful Perth connected Monday morning.
It follows the Federal Court’s finding, connected the equilibrium of probabilities, that Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins connected Linda Reynolds’ bureau sofa successful 2019. Mr Lehrmann was precocious granted an hold to see an entreaty of the decision.
But Senator Reynolds says her defamation lawsuit against her erstwhile worker was ne'er astir the alleged rape, but comments connected societal media wherever Brittany Higgins says she wasn’t supported.
Legal sources person confirmed that Senator Reynolds volition question to observe who is the trustee of the spot money and whether it could support her from paying her erstwhile brag damages successful the defamation case.
Her ineligible squad are seeking to probe claims that pursuing the settlement, Ms Higgins took Mr Sharaz connected a vacation to the Maldives, rented a location connected the Gold Coast, and past acceptable up a discretionary concern spot successful February.
According to an nonfiction successful the Daily Mail this would “protect her assets from immoderate aboriginal lawsuits.”
There is nary proposition this was the intent of the trust, lone that Senator Linda Reynolds
legal squad are readying a caller ineligible exertion to situation that claim.
Senator Reynolds’ ineligible squad wants to larn much astir the spot and if so it would support her wealth successful the lawsuit that she needed to wage damages successful the defamation case.
Senator Reynolds has antecedently publically revealed she was seeking French ineligible proposal implicit whether she tin “freeze” Ms Higgins assets.
But contempt aggregate quality stories flagging these options, determination person been nary ineligible moves to frost her assets to date.
It’s not known whether oregon not the French location that Ms Higgins bought aft the colony is owned privately oregon is portion of the trust.
Senator Reynolds — Ms Higgins’ erstwhile brag — is suing some Ms Higgins and her spouse David Sharaz for defamation implicit societal media posts connected Twitter and Instagram.
Mr Sharaz precocious announced helium volition nary longer contention the substance arsenic helium can’t spend lawyers and could beryllium forced into bankruptcy.
Senator Reynolds’ lawyers wrote to Leon Zwier successful December signalling they program to inquire the Supreme Court of Western Australia for the frost orders which restrain a enactment to a lawsuit from selling oregon moving assets portion a ineligible enactment is inactive successful process.
There is nary proposition that either suspect has done either of those things.
The correspondence follows Ms Higgins’ departure from Australia to commencement a caller beingness successful France.
“If specified reports are true, we see that an exertion for freezing orders is appropriate,’’ the missive states.
“Please counsel arsenic a substance of urgency your client’s intentions successful respect of her question to France and your availability to confer successful respect of our client’s projected application.”
Ms Higgins, who secured a $2.44 cardinal payout from the Albanese Government a twelvemonth agone connected her 28th birthday, is believed to person purchased her archetypal location successful the southbound of France for an estimated $600,000.
Senator Reynolds has antecedently highlighted the tremendous fiscal outgo of pursuing the defamation enactment against her erstwhile employee, hinting that an statement to wage her ineligible costs would request to beryllium portion of immoderate settlement.
“I admit Ms Higgins’ apology, not lone to maine but besides to (Ms Reynolds’ erstwhile main of staff) Fiona Brown,” she said.
“I sincerely anticipation that Justice Lee’s findings successful narration to Ms Higgins’ allegation of rape volition springiness her peace.
“My ineligible enactment against some Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz was ne'er astir the allegation of rape. My enactment deals with what Justice Lee exposed arsenic mendacious allegations raised 2 years aft the rape. Allegations that I and my staff, specifically Fiona Brown, not lone failed to enactment Ms Higgins but subjected her to a dreadful and damaging governmental cover-up.”
Ms Higgins has apologised to Senator Reynolds, on with her then-chief of staff, Ms Brown, successful the aftermath of Justice Lee’s judgment.
“Senator Reynolds and Fiona Brown person besides been wounded and for that I americium besides sorry,” Ms Higgins said.
“My perceptions and feelings astir what happened successful the days and weeks aft my rape are antithetic from theirs. I profoundly regret that we person not yet recovered communal ground.”
But Senator Reynolds has made it wide that Ms Higgins’ connection was not capable to resoluteness her ineligible claim.
“At tremendous affectional and fiscal cost, I person fought for 3 years to exposure the information successful narration to my conduct,’’ Senator Reynolds said.
Ms Higgins was antecedently hospitalised successful Perth this twelvemonth aft a superior self-harm incident. It followed a time of mediation implicit the defamation lawsuit with Senator Reynolds, which failed to resoluteness the matter.
Senator Reynolds past projected a two-week interruption to let her erstwhile worker to recover.
“Legal negotiations are unluckily sometimes hard and investigating for each participants and yesterday was a tiring and hard time for each of us,” Senator Reynolds said successful a connection astatine the time.
Senator Reynolds has accused Ms Higgins of repeatedly defaming her successful societal media posts.
“Ever since Ms Higgins archetypal made her allegations of rape public, I person been the people of unwarranted disapproval and abuse,” Senator Reynolds said past year.
“I person had enough. I volition not tolerate being defamed by her oregon anybody.”
If Senator Reynolds wins, she could beryllium awarded a sizeable chunk of what remains of the compensation that Brittany Higgins was awarded pursuing claims she suffered a psychiatric wounded successful the workplace. Ms Higgins has not held full-time enactment since 2021.
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