A former senator’s well-intentioned gesture toward Brittany Higgins may have inadvertently caused complications, as the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings intended to trace the allocation of Higgins’ $2.4 million compensation have been postponed once more.
Linda Reynolds, a former Liberal Member of Parliament, successfully took legal action against Higgins over several social media posts that she claimed tarnished her reputation during her tenure as a defense minister.
In August, the Supreme Court of Western Australia ruled that some of these posts were defamatory, awarding Reynolds $315,000 in damages along with $26,109 in interest.
Higgins has accused her former colleague, Bruce Lehrmann, of raping her in Reynolds’ ministerial office suite.
A Federal Court judge, in a separate defamation case brought by Lehrmann against Network Ten, determined that Higgins was likely raped by Lehrmann in the office.
Although Lehrmann’s appeal against this judgment was unsuccessful, he is considering escalating the matter to the High Court.
He denies the rape allegation and his criminal trial was derailed by juror misconduct.
Higgins’ husband David Sharaz was also served with a bankruptcy notice by Reynolds and is expected to declare bankruptcy.
He was also found to have defamed the former politician and was ordered to pay $85,000 in damages plus interest and costs.
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