Brittany Higgins has less than $10,000 to her name, a court has been told before Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds succeeded in a bid to access her former political staffer’s trust deed.
The former defence minister, who plans to retire from politics at the next election, is suing Higgins for damages over a series of social media posts she says damaged her reputation.
Senator Linda Reynolds outside court in Perth at a previous hearing.Credit: Jesinta Burton
Ahead of an August trial for that case, the senator’s legal team on Wednesday prevailed over Higgins’ legal team in a skirmish to access Ms Higgins’ trust documents.
It was created in late 2022 to hold the proceeds of a $2.4 million financial settlement made with the federal government amid claims she was not supported by Reynolds after Bruce Lehrmann allegedly raped her.
Reynolds’ lawyer Martin Bennett told the Supreme Court in Perth his client wants the document to understand who the trustee is and what jurisdiction’s laws are relevant to it.
It could lead to the senator instigating further court action to have trust funds restored to Higgins before the defamation trial judgment is handed down.
“(It) is likely to be the only process by which Senator Reynolds recovers damages and costs in the event she’s successful,” he told reporters outside court.
“If you’re out of pocket, and you’ve mortgaged your house to the hilt to pay for litigation, recovering those costs is something you try and do as soon as possible.”
During the hearing, the court was told an affidavit penned by one of Higgins’ lawyers, Leon Zwier, in June stated she had net assets worth less than $10,000.
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