Former Minister Linda Reynolds arrives at court flanked by her husband and lawyer. Credit: Trevor Collens –
Higgins’ trip to Perth marks her first since she worked in the state in the lead up to the federal election in 2019, several months after she claimed fellow staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped her in the then-cabinet minister’s parliamentary office.
A criminal trial against Lehrmann, who has maintained his innocence throughout, was aborted due to juror misconduct.
The charge was dropped, and a retrial was abandoned over fears for Higgins’ mental health.
The mediation hearing has seen level eight of the David Malcolm Justice Centre locked down, with members of the media and the public refused access to the floor.
Tuesday’s mediation will be followed by a status conference, which is understood to be proceeding irrespective of whether the trio resolve their differences.
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The long-awaited peace talks come just hours after Justice Marcus Solomon intervened to oversee the hearing alongside registrar Danielle Davies, a move which now precludes him from overseeing the trial scheduled for July.
Solomon has been determined to avoid yet another high-profile defamation trial, fearing the stoush will come at a great human cost.
The legal row began in January 2023, when Reynolds launched legal action against Sharaz, claiming the former press gallery journalist published five social media posts that were falsely defamatory of her.
The former defence minister has sought damages, as well as aggravated damages, and a court order preventing the material from ever being published again.
David Sharaz, partner of Brittany Higgins arrives at court in Perth.Credit: Trevor Collens
Reynolds’ defamation suit against Higgins centred around two social media posts made to Instagram and Twitter in July 2023, in which Higgins accused Reynolds of using the press to harass her.
Reynolds demanded damages for defamation and claimed the posts constituted a breach of a non-disparagement clause buried in the deed of settlement and release the pair signed in March 2021.
Both Higgins and Sharaz are defending their respective cases, which have been heard together due to their significant overlap.
Dates have been set aside for a six-week trial beginning on July 24 in the event mediation is unsuccessful.
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