Now we move to the Supreme Court of Western Australia, where lawyer Brittany Higgins has called Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds's libel suit an attempt to smear those she blames for her demise, including the alleged rape victim at the centre of the political scandal that caused it.
Beginning closing arguments on Monday, Higgins' lawyer Rachel Young, SC, said the former staffer's alleged rape at Parliament House in March 2019 had caused her great distress but had had a profound and lasting impact on how gender-based violence is addressed in workplaces across the country.
Western Australian Senator Linda Reynolds (right) and former staffer Brittany Higgins (centre) with Higgins' husband David Sharaz.Credit: Composite image of Aresna Villanueva
Young, S.C., told the court that Reynolds picked the wrong person in an attempt to restore her reputation over what she saw as the politicization of an alleged rape in 2021 and then blamed it on her most junior employee two years later.
“Senator Reynolds, frustrated by the political responsibility placed on her for the Higgins rape and the 2021 allegations because she never sued over them, is attempting to indirectly seek damages for posts made in 2023,” said Young, R-S.C.
“And in the process, discredit those she blames for her political collapse.”
Reflecting on Reynolds' statements about the impact the uproar over the alleged rape had on her, including intense distress and poor health, Young, S.C., said there was no doubt that Higgins had borne and would continue to bear the heaviest burden.
Former Defence Secretary Reynolds is suing Higgins for damages and punitive damages over social media posts she says accused her of mishandling Higgins' alleged rape and attempting to silence victims of sexual assault.
Higgins is defending the suit, arguing that the content of the messages was true and that Reynolds used the media to harass her.