Senator Linda Reynolds breaks her silence over bitter legal war with Brittany Higgins – as her lawyers mock fiance David Sharaz and warn he faces financial ruin

Linda Reynolds has vowed to continue her defamation case against Brittany Higgins despite an impassioned plea from David Sharaz, the former staffer’s fiancée, to drop the case.

Senator Reynolds launched two defamation proceedings in the WA Supreme Court against Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz over social media posts published in 2022 and 2023 that she claimed had damaged her reputation.

The Liberal senator said the messages implied she pressured Ms Higgins, her former junior staffer, not to file her rape complaint with police in 2019 and interfered in Bruce Lehrmann’s 2022 rape trial.

In April, a Federal Court judge ruled on a balance of probabilities that Ms Higgins was raped by Mr Lehrmann in Senator Reynolds’ office at Parliament House in 2019 – but that no one tried to stop her from filing a police complaint to serve.

Sharaz’s attempt to resolve his own case with the senator through mediation on Tuesday was unsuccessful and he was forced to admit defeat, citing financial problems.

In the midst of the legal proceedings, he posted a statement on social media revealing he had settled his own case and urged Senator Reynolds to drop the case against Ms Higgins.

On Wednesday, Ms Reynolds confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that she would not drop the case, citing “unwarranted and hateful abuse” she had suffered as a result of Ms Higgins’ allegations.

She said: ‘Since 2021, my staff and I have been subjected to unwarranted and hateful abuse as a result of allegations made by Ms Higgins about my conduct, a primary allegation of political cover-up that Judge Lee recently found to be completely false.’

The joint attack on me by ‘Mrs Higgins’ and Mr Sharaz, supported by Labor in Federal Parliament, has taken a huge toll on my physical and mental health, and that of my staff.

“Ms. Higgins and Mr. Sharaz continued to slander and discredit me on social media, raising other allegations that led to these lawsuits.”

Ms Reynolds said she welcomed WA Supreme Court Justice Paul Tottle’s decision on Tuesday to retain the July trial dates for her defamation hearing against Ms Higgins.

“I look forward to the process so we can put an end to this dispute and move forward,” she said.

The senator also said Sharaz’s decision to issue a statement during Tuesday’s legal proceedings was “calculated.”

In his statement, Mr Sharaz said: ‘Despite our efforts, Linda Reynolds has not accepted any attempts to resolve this matter through mediation, and Brittany may now face a new trial. It will be her third.

‘I cannot afford to defend myself for a six-week trial period. As a result, I informed the court today that I will no longer contest Reynolds’ legal action.

“I am now calling on Senator Reynolds to settle her lawsuit against Brittany, a rape victim, by agreeing to disagree and put this all behind her. It’s time to move on.’

Ms Reynolds said it was unclear what Mr Sharaz’s statement meant “in a practical sense”.

“However, the calculated release of the statement during the hearing and the – in my opinion misleading – references to confidential mediation discussions do not contribute to the resolution of the proceedings,” she said.

Outside court on Tuesday, Ms Reynolds’ barrister Martin Bennett expressed confusion over Mr. Sharaz’s attorney Jason MacLaurin’s statement that his client had limited financial resources.

Mr Bennett said: ‘He lives in a castle in France. He has no job and he has a QC and a junior barrister, two barristers representing him.”

Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins moved to France in December, about a year after she was awarded $2.4 million in compensation by the Commonwealth for the way her 2019 rape allegations were handled.

“If he has no money, as he claims in France, he will go bankrupt,” Bennett said.

‘He will have to ask his curator whether you can live abroad or travel abroad. You cannot do that as a right if you are bankrupt in Australia.’

Mr Bennett also said Senator Reynolds deemed Mr Sharaz’s social media post during the hearing as “offensive and aggravating”.

“All of this was deliberately planned,” Mr Bennett told reporters.

“An attention-seeking stunt to manipulate the media… It’s another attack on Senator Reynolds.”

Ms Higgins apologized to Ms Reynolds following the Federal Court’s decision on her rape in April, but she disagreed with Judge Michael Lee’s findings that there was no cover-up.

The judgment was handed down in Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over a 2021 episode of The Project in which Ms Higgins’ rape allegations were first broadcast.

Lehrmann had maintained his innocence prior to the damning findings in April.

In her apology, Ms Higgins said: “Senator Reynolds and Fiona Brown were also injured and for that I am sorry.

“My perceptions and feelings about what happened in the days and weeks after my rape are different from theirs. I deeply regret that we have not yet found common ground.”

Senator Reynolds responded by saying she wanted Ms Higgins to accept Judge Lee’s findings that there was no political cover-up.

“If Ms Higgins does not accept Judge Lee’s findings on the claims of cover-up and abuse, this will unfortunately have to be proven again at our trial which will take place in July this year,” she said.

The case will be heard on July 24.