Brittany Higgins has been ordered to pay 80 per cent of former senator Linda Reynolds' legal costs after losing a defamation case over social media posts. Reynolds' lawyer, Martin Bennett, told the ABC the costs would exceed $1 million.
Justice Paul Tottle ruled in August that Higgins defamed Reynolds in three social media posts from 2022 and 2023, awarding Reynolds $315,000 in damages plus $26,000 in interest. The former senator argued the posts damaged her reputation and caused distress.
In the costs judgment, it was revealed Higgins offered to settle the case for $200,000 four days before the trial in July last year, to be paid by her parents. The offer included a statement of mutual regret and a $10,000 donation to a women's refuge, but Justice Tottle deemed it unreasonable, saying it did not vindicate Reynolds' reputation.
Justice Tottle reduced the costs order by 20 per cent because he rejected Reynolds' claim that Higgins conspired to end her political career. Reynolds has also launched separate Federal Court proceedings against the Commonwealth over a $2.4 million compensation payment made to Higgins in 2022.
