Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz to return to Australia for mediation talks with Linda Reynolds

Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz will return to Australia to face defamation proceedings against them by former Defense Minister Linda Reynolds.

Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins and her fiancé, Mr Sharaz, for defamation in the Supreme Court of Western Australia over posts each made on social media which she claims damaged her reputation.

The matter is scheduled to return to court for a mediation conference on Tuesday and a strategy conference on Wednesday.

Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz moved permanently to France at the end of last year, having bought a house near Bordeaux.

They had no plans to return to Australia but it is understood they are now due to appear in court next week.

The development comes just months after Ms Reynolds attempted to freeze Ms Higgins’ assets.

He wrote a letter to Higgins’ lawyer, Leon Zwier, in December, pointing to reports that the former political staffer had moved permanently to France.

“If such reports are true, we consider it appropriate to make an application for freezing orders,” the letter said.

“Please advise as a matter of urgency your client’s intentions regarding his trip to France and your availability to consult regarding our client’s proposed request.”

The Commonwealth awarded Higgins a $2.4 million compensation settlement over claims that her bosses, including Ms Reynolds, did not support her when she first came forward with her rape allegations in 2019.

She accused her colleague Bruce Lehrmann of raping her in a ministerial office in Parliament after a night of partying, accusations that Lehrmann has always denied.

After publicly airing his accusations on The Project in 2021, the matter reached a criminal trial in late 2022, but was aborted due to jury misconduct.

A proposed retrial was abandoned due to concerns about Ms Higgins’ mental health and charges against Mr Lehrmann were dropped.

Ms Higgins’ claims to the media are the subject of an ongoing defamation process after Mr Lehrmann sued Channel Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.