David Sharaz has admitted defeat in his legal dispute with Linda Reynolds and said he will not fight her defamation lawsuit, and in return, pleaded with the former senator to drop his litigation against his fiancée Brittany Higgins.
Senator Reynolds has been suing Higgins and Sharaz for defamation over several social media posts they published in 2022 and 2023.
Sharaz attempted to resolve the matter through mediation, but on Tuesday revealed that had failed.
‘Despite our best efforts, Linda Reynolds has not agreed to attempts to resolve this matter through mediation, and Brittany may now be exposed to another lawsuit. It will be the third.
‘I cannot afford to pay the legal costs to defend myself during a six-week trial.
‘As a result, I have today informed the court that I will no longer fight Reynolds’ legal action.
‘I now call on Senator Reynolds to resolve her litigation against Brittany, a rape victim, by agreeing to disagree and putting this all behind her. It’s time to move.
“It’s time to let Brittany recover.”
Earlier this month, Higgins apologized to her former boss following a landmark Federal Court ruling that found her former Liberal Party colleague Bruce Lehrmann likely raped her in 2019.
The verdict was handed down in Lehrmann’s defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson.
But Judge Michael Lee rejected Higgins’ claims that Reynolds was involved in a political cover-up of her sexual assault inside Parliament.
After Judge Lee handed down his sentence, Senator Reynolds said: “For three years I have endured intense public scrutiny, defamation, vile trolling and been demonized as the villain of a political cover-up story that I always knew was false.” . ‘
In his apology, Higgins said: “Senator Reynolds and Fiona Brown have also been hurt and I am sorry too.”
‘My perceptions and feelings about what happened in the days and weeks after my rape are different to theirs. I deeply regret that we have not yet found common ground.’
Reynolds responded to the apology the following day in a statement and indicated that his defamation action would continue.
‘At enormous emotional and financial cost, I have fought for three years to expose the truth regarding my conduct. Looking ahead, I appreciate Ms. Higgins’ olive branch and her commitment to working with me to reach a resolution.
‘What still exists between us are not different perceptions. It is a fact that Mrs Higgins received our support and that there was no cover-up.
“If Ms Higgins does not accept Judge Lee’s conclusions on the allegations of cover-up and ill-treatment, then unfortunately it will have to be proven again at our trial scheduled for July this year.”
