Defamation

Senator Linda Reynolds has given evidence about the fallout of media reporting about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations, saying she experienced health problems from the stress and felt she could not defend herself in the public eye since it was a criminal matter.

A judge has granted Brittany Higgins’ bid to subpoena text messages Linda Reynolds exchanged with accused rapist Bruce Lehrmann’s senior counsel, while also granting the senator’s bid for communications related to a fundraising page for Higgins.

Senator Linda Reynolds has taken the stand in her defamation case against Brittany Higgins, telling a court on Tuesday she encouraged the former staffer to go to the police after her alleged rape by colleague Bruce Lehrmann because she was “not the right person” to conduct an investigation.  

Brittany Higgins’ counsel has argued that her former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, mishandled her staffer’s allegation she was raped by colleague Bruce Lehrmann at Parliament House, saying she effectively told her to “go elsewhere”.

As another trial traversing the rape allegations of former political staffer Brittany Higgins gets underway, a lawyer for Senator Linda Reynolds has told a court Higgins’ claim she was pressured not to pursue a complaint against Bruce Lehrmann was the stuff of fairytales.

The Full Federal Court has revived an out-of-time defamation case over an episode of A Current Affair, finding that it would not have been reasonable to file the proceedings within a year given the “spectre of criminal proceedings” against Queensland man Geoffrey Landrey.

Bruce Lehrmann has secured new representation for his appeal of his failed defamation case against Network Ten over its coverage of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations, as he seeks to stay a $2 million costs order against him.

An Australian YouTuber has been sued by a lithium battery company which asked him for “unbiased reviews” of its products, saying his videos raising concerns about the batteries are defamatory.

A judge has ordered Seven West-owned publication The West Australian to pay a former public servant $180,000 in damages over an article about an allegation of fraud that had “a sensationalist overtone”.

Network Ten has won $2 million in costs against Bruce Lehrmann in his failed defamation case over the broadcaster’s coverage of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations, after agreeing to a substantial haircut on its $3.7 million legal bill.