bourbiza mohamed
Linda Reynolds’ cross-examination will proceed within the WA Supreme Court docket on Thursday at 10.30am native time, 12.30pm AEST.
On Wednesday, the Liberal senator instructed the court docket she felt that she had no alternative however to sue her former staffer, Brittany Higgins, for defamation.
The matter was filed over a collection of social media posts by Ms Higgins and her husband, David Sharaz, that she claims broken her repute.
However in court docket this week, Ms Reynolds alleged the posts have been really a part of a years-long marketing campaign of harassment.
Ms Higgins has lengthy maintained that Ms Reynolds didn’t help her after she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann in her Parliament Home workplace in March 2019.
At the moment, Ms Reynolds was the defence trade minister. Lehrmann and Ms Higgins have been her staffers in Canberra.
Ms Higgins accused Ms Reynolds of creating her select between her profession and pursuing her rape grievance with police and believes the Liberal get together tried to cowl up her rape.
She first made these allegations towards Ms Reynolds within the type of two media interviews – the primary was a written article printed by information.com.au, and the second was a tv interview with Lisa Wilkinson on The Venture.
Each interviews have been printed on February 15, 2021.
The tv interview particularly carried important claims of a political coverup by the then-Liberal authorities, and Ms Reynolds and her chief-of-staff, Fiona Brown.
Previous to that, Ms Reynolds says she had no thought Ms Higgins harboured any resentment in the direction of her.
Following the printed, Ms Reynolds was grilled over the rape throughout Query Time, there have been requires her resignation, and irate members of the general public began trolling her and her household.
Ms Reynolds has regularly denied forcing Ms Higgins to decide on between her profession and her assault and says she by no means tried to cowl up the rape.
In court docket on Wednesday, Ms Reynolds stated did not defend herself correctly when the allegations have been first publicised as a result of she believed Ms Higgins had the appropriate to talk out in regards to the matter in no matter means she selected.
She didn’t agree with what Ms Higgins was saying about her and her employees, however she did not imagine the felony grievance ought to be litigated exterior a courtroom.
The senator additionally did not wish to betray Ms Higgins’ confidence by revealing the substance of their non-public conferences within the weeks after the assault.
In December 2022, Ms Higgins gained a $2.4million compensation declare towards the Commonwealth over the best way she was handled by her employers – Ms Reynolds and Ms Brown – after her rape.
That declare included a lot of allegations towards Ms Reynolds and Ms Brown, however neither of them have been allowed to attend mediation to defend themselves.
Ms Reynolds referred the cost to the anti-corruption fee as a result of she believes the Attoney-Basic Mark Dreyfus personally determined to dam her from mediation.
Within the years that adopted, Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz allegedly continued to perpetuate the narrative that Ms Reynolds tried to cowl up the rape.
She instructed the court docket the couple knew that no matter they posted on social media could be picked up by media and republished – which included a variety of posts about her.
The posts included allegations that Ms Reynolds was harassing Ms Higgins.
Ms Reynolds’ expressed confusion over posts from the couple that instructed she didn’t have a proper to defend herself towards allegations.
She instructed the court docket that Ms Higgins appeared to imagine that in search of justice was a type of bullying.
‘Me in search of justice and having my voice heard was one way or the other silencing her,’ she stated.
‘Collaborating in judicial processes was me bullying her.’
Ms Reynolds stated she by no means denied that Ms Higgins was raped – the one challenge was the allegations towards her.
She instructed the court docket that has been in despair for 3 years, her well being has declined, and her associates, household, and employees members must put up with fixed calls asking how they will stand by an ‘evil lady’.
The senator believed launching defamation motion was the one means Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz would cease perpetuating the allegations towards her.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings