Senator Linda Reynolds wants Brittany Higgins to pay for her medical bills, saying the “intense interrogations” she endured following allegations that her former aide was raped on the House floor aggravated a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
The Western Australian senator claims in documents filed in her defamation case against Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz that Ms Higgins’ actions caused her condition to deteriorate and land her in hospital.
The defamation case centres on social media posts by Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz, which Senator Reynolds claims suggest she mishandled the rape allegation.
The senator further alleges that the messages suggest she engaged in questionable conduct during Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial, which was halted due to jury misconduct and charges against him were subsequently dropped.
In documents released by the Western Australian Supreme Court, Senator Reynolds has amended her complaint against her former aide, claiming she suffered physical and mental harm as a result of Ms Higgins’ actions.
Senator Reynolds claims she had a “pre-existing but undiagnosed heart condition” and had been diagnosed with mild anxiety and depression.
Her health then deteriorated ‘seriously’ after the Project aired the rape allegations against Ms Higgins, followed by ‘the negative national media coverage and the intense questioning by the Labor Party in the Senate’.
Senator Reynolds alleges in court documents that these events caused her to suffer “severe anxiety and severe cardiac pain” before she was admitted to hospital on February 23, 2021.
Senator Linda Reynolds (pictured) wants Brittany Higgins to pay her medical bills
Brittany Higgins (second from left) at a dinner with Linda Reynolds (left) in Perth in 2019
Senator Reynolds was referred to a psychologist and a psychiatrist on March 2, 2021. The latter noted that she was “vulnerable and incapacitated.”
Senator Reynolds further alleged that her psychiatrist had diagnosed her with “emotional dysregulation, dysphoria and anxiety as a result of recent work pressures.”
Senator Reynolds was also diagnosed by her cardiologist with a microvascular condition that will require her to take two types of heart medications daily “for the rest of her life,” the documents state.
Senator Reynolds said she continues to see her psychologist “regularly” and remains under the care of her cardiologist.
She has asked Ms Higgins to pay her medical expenses totalling $4,249.11 from March 2, 2021 to June 16, 2024, including consultation fees of $3.40 and a CT scan of $504.15.
Brittany Higgins (pictured) also claims her former employer’s participation in Channel 7’s Spotlight programme about the alleged rape ‘undermined’ the trauma Ms Higgins suffered while working on the senator’s political campaign in Perth.
Her updated medical claims come after months of legal disputes over allegations that Ms. Higgins “acted maliciously” when she and her husband posted certain messages on social media that deliberately intended to harm her and the federal government.
In her amended defence, published by the court, Ms Higgins alleges that Senator Reynolds shared “confidential correspondence” with The Australian newspaper. This correspondence included an internal government department email marked “sensitive: personal” regarding the multi-million dollar compensation payment Ms Higgins received following the alleged rape.
The email was subsequently referenced in a published story by The Australian, which detailed how the federal agency responsible for overseeing the welfare of parliamentary staff handled the rape allegations.
Ms Higgins alleged in the court documents that Senator Reynolds continued to send documents to The Australian “from time to time” after February 2023, including the senator’s correspondence with Commonwealth lawyers relating to the Sofronoff inquiry into the Australian Capital Territory’s criminal justice system.
Brittany Higgins (pictured) has claimed in her defense that Senator Reynolds leaked private government emails about her compensation to the media
Ms Higgins also claims her former employer’s participation in Channel 7’s Spotlight programme about the alleged rape ‘undermined’ the trauma Ms Higgins suffered while working on the senator’s political campaign in Perth.
In the court documents, Ms Higgins alleges the senator waged a campaign of intimidation against her by providing “confidential information to the media” regarding mediation and complaints to the Commonwealth, and by “directly or indirectly” questioning her personal injury claim against the Commonwealth.
Earlier this year, Federal District Court Judge Michael Lee ruled that he was convinced, based on the civil standard (which is different from the criminal standard), that Ms. Higgins had been raped by Bruce Lehrmann.
Mr Lehrmann had filed a defamation lawsuit against Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson over The Project’s report on the alleged rape in 2021.
Mr Lehrmann has maintained his innocence and is appealing the decision.
Earlier this year, Federal District Court Judge Michael Lee ruled that he was convinced, based on the civil standard (which is different from the criminal standard), that Ms. Higgins had been raped by Bruce Lehrmann.
The defamation trial between Senator Reynolds and Ms Higgins is due to begin early next month.