Linda Reynolds’ attorney has responded to a letter Bruce Lehrmann’s team sent Tuesday after the senator described him in court as “untrustworthy.”
Ms Reynolds has long maintained that she tried to help Ms Higgins and claims that Ms Higgins’ messages damaged her reputation.
He said Ms. Reynolds “had a great intuition… she thought Lehrmann was cunning.”
Four days later, Reynolds’ team received a letter from Lehrmann’s attorney, Zali Burrows, claiming that the term “shady” implied he was “a deceitful, dishonest and dishonest character.”
In the letter, the term “devious” was described as a “character assassination.”
Lehrmann’s team also disagreed with evidence given by Ms Reynolds on Monday that he had lied about his friendship with former ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis in 2019.
Lehrmann is neither a party to the current defamation proceedings nor a witness.
Daily Mail Australia can now reveal that Mr Bennett replied to Ms Burrows later that same day, indicating that her letter had been incorrectly dated.
(Pictured below: Linda Reynolds with her lawyer, Martin Bennett outside the Supreme Court of Western Australia; Zali Burrows outside the Federal Court in Sydney)
Mr Bennett wrote: ‘I refer to your letter which I sent by email to Ms Ross in my office on 6th August 2024. Enclosed is your letter which is dated (for unknown reasons) 8th August.’
He explained that legal proceedings are covered by the privilege of professional secrecy, meaning that Ms. Reynolds can describe Lehrmann in any way she wants, without fear of prosecution.
“Procedures in court enjoy an absolute privilege,” he wrote.
‘The reference to Senator Reynolds describing your client as “unreliable” is found in Assistant Commissioner Leanne Close’s notes, which record conversations on 4 April 2019.’
He then referred to the statement his client had given about Lehrmann’s apparent connection to the former Director-General of ASIO.
Mr Bennett said the information was obtained from notes taken by Ms Reynolds’ former chief of staff, Fiona Brown, in 2019, shortly after the relevant conversations took place.
“The evidence regarding Mr Lehrmann’s claim that he is friends with Mr Duncan Lewis is supported by notes made by Ms Brown in 2019,” Mr Bennett wrote.
‘It was one of the factors Senator Reynolds considered in terminating Mr. Lehrmann’s employment.
‘The assumption that these comments are not relevant to this procedure is a false assumption.
He then said that Ms Reynolds would not “fact-check” her evidence with Lehrmann, adding: “Each of the claims in your letter are categorically rejected.”
