New lawsuit launched against Brittany Higgins to try and gain access to $2.4 million government settlement
Lawyers for Linda Reynolds have launched a fresh lawsuit against Brittany Higgins which attempts to gain access to her $2.4 million federal government settlement. Ms Higgins was awarded the money after signing a settlement agreement with the Commonwealth for compensation after she was allegedly raped in Parliament House. The trial also heard from a former top brass with the Australian Federal Police, who says she was taken aback when she discovered her meeting with Linda Reynolds occurred in a "potential crime scene" a fortnight after Ms Higgins's alleged rape.
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00:00The legal strategy still on course, according to Senator Reynolds' lawyers.
00:07It's gone to plan. It's very hard. We're on day 15 and this case has gone to plan.
00:12After weeks of witnesses for Senator Reynolds, the one and only witness for Ms Higgins' defence,
00:18Leanne Close, who was an AFP Deputy Commissioner at the time of Ms Higgins' alleged rape in 2019.
00:24She met with Senator Reynolds to discuss the incident in the then Minister's office.
00:29Ms Close told the court she was surprised and taken aback when Senator Reynolds told her
00:34the alleged rape took place on the couch in the office just behind them.
00:38She said she was thinking they were sitting in the middle of a potential crime scene
00:42that hadn't been forensically examined.
00:44Separately, Senator Reynolds has issued a new writ to break open a trust
00:49in which Ms Higgins had deposited $2.4 million from her settlement with the Commonwealth
00:54over the handling of her rape allegation.
00:57Senator Reynolds had, in an earlier ruling, won access to the details of the protective trust.
01:02In the writ, the former Minister claims Ms Higgins transferred the funds into the trust
01:07with the intention of defeating or delaying creditors, such as herself.
01:12Senator Reynolds has now applied to have the transfer of funds voided
01:16and the money returned to Ms Higgins' regular bank accounts.
01:19Seek to have what remains of the $2.4 million returned into the estate of Ms Higgins.
01:26If Senator Reynolds is successful in having the money taken out of the trust,
01:30it could then be used to pay any damages if she wins the defamation trial.