Brittany Higgins' former boss has blasted 12 claims the ex-political operative made against her that led to her securing her $2.44 million in damages.
Fiona Brown was Bruce Lehrmann and Ms Higgins' boss in March 2019, when she was interim chief of staff to then Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds.
She held meetings with both of them in the week after the alleged assault on March 23, 2019, and was a key witness in all replays of the case. because she kept contemporaneous notes of those conversations.
Ms Brown opposed giving evidence in the defamation trial against Lehrmann on medical grounds, saying she was so traumatized after cross-examination at his criminal trial last October that she suffered panic attacks.
In her affidavit filed in the Federal Court, Ms Brown explained that during that trial she ran out of the courtroom crying because she was not represented and a beautiful text Ms Higgins had sent her was read out in court.
“It reminded me of how contradictory her communication with me had been compared to how I was portrayed on The Project airing,” she said.
Brittany Higgins' (pictured) former boss has taken a closer look at her $2.44 million compensation settlement and dissected 12 claims the former employee made against her.
Fiona Brown (pictured) was Bruce Lehrmann and Ms Higgins' boss in March 2019, when she was interim chief of staff to then Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds.
She was taken to a room in the court and left there for an hour and a half without support or explanation.
Special considerations were made before she gave evidence on Monday and Tuesday: she was represented and told the court she knew nothing about Ms Higgins' alleged assault and insisted she tried to help her when she was eventually told.
She said this in her statement filed with the Federal Court.
What was not mentioned in court was that her affidavit also outlines a dozen claims Ms. Higgins made against her in her multimillion-dollar settlement deed with the Commonwealth.
Ms Higgins' claim was settled by the Albanian government last December after one day of mediation, and 10 days after Mr Lehrmann's charges were dropped, and relied entirely on its own evidence.
Mr Lehrmann has consistently denied the accusation.
Key figures including Ms Brown and Ms Reynolds featured heavily in the document, amid claims she was victimized and discriminated against when she made her rape allegations in 2019.
However, both were denied the opportunity to defend themselves during the mediation session.
In her affidavit, Ms. Brown said she received a copy of the deed on Dec. 8, 2023 — a day after it was presented to the federal court in Mr. Lehrmann's defamation lawsuit.
“I was not aware that Ms. Higgins had claimed that I 'victimized' her,” she said in the document.
Some of the claims Ms Brown disputed relate to a meeting she had with Ms Higgins on March 26, 2019 – three days after the alleged assault.
Ms Brown agreed she met with Ms Higgins that day, but it was for disciplinary purposes; a security breach was caused when she entered Parliament House with Mr Lehrmann in the early hours of March 23.
She had asked Ms Higgins about the offence, asked her to explain, asked her to re-sign the ministerial code of conduct and claimed she had no idea at the time there had been any allegation of sexual misconduct.
Mr. Lehrmann also met with Ms. Brown that day, and because it was his second security breach, he was fired.
Bruce Lehrmann is currently suing Chanel Ten and Lisa Wilkinson for defamation
In her affidavit, Ms Brown denied Ms Higgins' claim that the single meeting lasted 45 minutes.
She said the staffer did not reveal her alleged assault to her during that meeting, nor did she break down or cry hysterically.
“She seemed calm,” Ms. Brown said.
Ms Brown also denied Ms Higgins' claims that she had 'informed her that Mr Lehrmann had been dismissed and would not be returning'.
“I deny that I 'instructed' Mrs. Higgins to take the rest of the day off.”
Ms Brown said there was no reason to ask Ms Higgins if she needed help, or to offer her medical help or advice, because no abuse had been reported.
Ms Higgins claimed her boss did not ask her if she wanted to report the alleged assault to the police. Ms Brown claimed this did not happen because she did not know there was an allegation of assault.
Ms Brown said she offered to take Ms Higgins to the Australian Federal Police five days later, on April 1, when she said she became aware of the alleged attack.
In Ms Higgins' claim, she said Yaron Finkelstein – who was secretary to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison – was “regularly” present in Ms Reynolds' office and advised Ms Brown on how to deal with Ms Higgins' allegations and her rape.
Ms. Brown claimed she never discussed Ms. Higgins' assault allegation with Mr. Finkelstein.
According to Ms. Brown's affidavit, she did not offer Ms. Higgins alternative counseling services because the former staffer attended sessions and described them as “good.”
Ms Higgins had claimed Ms Brown had refused her requests to view CCTV footage of herself and Mr Lehrmann entering Parliament House at around 1.30am on March 23, but Ms Brown said she never made a request.
“I didn't turn her down because no requests were made. CCTV never came up in any conversation with me and Ms Higgins,” she said.
Ms Higgins had claimed Ms Brown had refused her requests to view CCTV footage of herself and Mr Lehrmann entering Parliament House at around 1.30am on March 23 (pictured), but Ms Brown said she never made a request.
She also denied Ms Higgins raised the issue of mental health leave, or said she needed time off on April 11, 2019 or at any other time to assist the AFP with its investigation.
Ms. Brown left Ms. Reynolds' office on April 5.
She also denied telling Ms Higgins she could either follow Ms Reynolds to Perth for the election or go home to the Gold Coast and leave her job at Parliament House – in the wake of her rape allegations.
In her claim, Ms Higgins said: 'Ms Brown has made it clear by her words and behavior that the events of 22/23 March 2019 should be set aside; that (Ms. Higgins) is keeping quiet about the assault in order to keep her job/career.”
“In that context, (Ms Higgins) felt she had no choice but to discontinue pursuing the sexual assault complaint with the AFP.”
Ms Brown denied telling Ms Higgins to keep quiet.
“I had tried to support Ms. Higgins, not silence her,” she said.
Ms Higgins previously told the court that the Albanian government had admitted liability and “breached its duty of care and failed to undertake the appropriate processes”.
Brittany Higgins is pictured leaving Commonwealth parliamentary offices with her partner David Sharaz in 2021
But the document specifically states that all claims were settled 'without any admission of liability', and the deed appears to have been prepared solely by Ms Higgins' legal team.
No reference was made to the points raised during the criminal trial of Mr Lehrmann in October 2022.
According to the claim, Ms Higgins' “pain, suffering and humiliation” was estimated at $400,000, with past and future domestic help costing $100,000 and $220,000 in medical costs.
Legal fees totaled another $245,000, and $1,480,000 was paid for lost wages.
The payment has been referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission.