Senator Linda Reynolds’ lawyer unleashed a furry of accusations at former staffer Brittany Higgins. He accused her of arrogance and stringing a "litany of lies." He delivered his closing address in the long-running defamation trial, that's nearing an end in Western Australia’s Supreme court.
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00:00Linda Reynolds is suing Brittany Higgins over social media posts published in 2023, two
00:08years after Ms Higgins went public alleging she was raped in the Senator's Parliamentary
00:12Office. In his closing submission, the Senator's lawyer, Martin Bennett, told the court his
00:17client had never questioned the veracity of Ms Higgins' rape claim, which she wanted to
00:22be properly investigated, adding that Senator Reynolds tried to help her and felt genuine
00:27concern and sympathy. But in a strident attack, he accused Ms Higgins of arrogantly from the
00:32sanctity of France, claiming to be the person most seriously affected by this matter, while
00:37trivialising the hurt to others. Mr Bennett said attacks by Ms Higgins were based on a
00:42litany of lies and were part of a conspiracy against Senator Reynolds. Senator Reynolds
00:48is alleging the social media posts contributed to what Mr Bennett has described as the plan.
00:54Earlier, Brittany Higgins' lawyer, Rachel Young, targeted the so-called plan, saying
00:59the evidence didn't support the claim Ms Higgins plotted to hurt Senator Reynolds or bring
01:03down the Morrison government. Ms Young referred to a text message exchange in 2021 between
01:09her client and journalist, Samantha Maiden, who asked her if she thought Senator Reynolds
01:14should resign. Ms Higgins responded, I don't think so, I think she was just following instructions
01:19to be honest. Ms Young said her client had a long association with the Liberal Party,
01:25had campaigned for an election win and was happy when the Morrison government came to
01:29power. She said an alleged desire to bring down the government was inconsistent with
01:33Ms Higgins' attempts to bring about reform, including meeting with the then Prime Minister,
01:38Scott Morrison. She ended her submission with a call for the defamation action to be wholly
01:43dismissed. David Webber, ABC News.