‘Hard’: Higgins breaks silence after Aus return

Brittany Higgins has expressed mixed emotions about returning to Perth for her face-to-face court showdown with former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, saying the city is a “difficult place to come back to”.

Ms Higgins arrived at the WA Supreme Court on Tuesday morning wearing an $A1300 light blue buttoned dress from London designer Beulah, whose slogan is “fighting slavery through fashion”.

Alongside Ms Higgins was her fiance David Sharaz, who wore a light blue shirt and beige blazer, as they made their way through the media scrum.

Ms Higgins said she believed everyone was eager to resolve the matters in good faith, but she had mixed emotions about her return to WA.

“It’s a difficult place to come back to,” she told reporters.

“It’s beautiful, but just personally it’s hard being back in Perth.

“I think everyone is acting in good faith trying to get an outcome.”

It is Ms Higgins’ first visit back to Perth since she worked in the state in the lead-up to the federal election in 2019 — months after she alleged she was raped by fellow Canberra staffer Bruce Lehrmann in Senator Reynolds’ office, a claim Mr Lehrmann strongly denies.

Tuesday’s mediation session also marks the first time the couple have been seen since returning to Australia from their new home in France.

The pair are facing Senator Reynolds for forced mediation talks in a last-ditch effort to settle their legal fight and avoid an arduous trial. They are being represented by senior barristers Nicholas Owens and Jason MacLaurin.

Senator Reynolds arrived a short time later, alongside her husband Robert Reid.

The pair held hands as they approached the court building.

She is being represented by veteran defamation barrister Martin Bennett.

Senator Reynolds declined to comment until after the mediation had concluded.

She also did not comment on whether the case had been a factor in her decision to quit politics when her term ends in 2025.

Senator Reynolds launched legal proceedings against Ms Higgins in the WA Supreme Court, claiming her ex-employee defamed her in two social media posts in July last year.

She also accused Ms Higgins of breaching a non-disparagement clause in a deed of settlement and release they signed in March 2021.

Their dispute stems from allegations Ms Higgins made that she was raped by Mr Lehrmann.

A trial against Mr Lehrmann was aborted following juror misconduct, then a retrial was dumped due to fears for Ms Higgins’ mental health, leading to the charge being dropped.

Mr Lehrmann has always vehemently denied Ms Higgins’ claim.

In one social media post, Ms Higgins said Senator Reynolds continued “to harass me through the media and in the parliament”.

Senator Reynolds claims she suffered loss and damage as a result of the posts.

Senator Reynolds also began legal action against Mr Sharaz, claiming he defamed her in five social media posts in December 2022 and January 2023.

Among the defamatory imputations claimed against Mr Sharaz’s posts were that Senator Reynolds pressured Ms Higgins not to proceed with a complaint to police, “is a hypocrite in her advocacy for women’s interests and empowerment”, and interfered in Mr Lehrmann’s trial.

The two-day mediation talks will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday in private, with the media not allowed to observe.

Justice Marcus Solomon, who has repeatedly called for the two matters to be dealt with via mediation rather than a trial, will himself be mediating the case alongside registrar Danielle Davies.

While Higgins’ lawyers had been supportive of the idea when it was initially raised, Senator Reynolds’ team did not back the move because it would mean Justice Solomon could not preside over a possible trial.

Justice Solomon warned in a previous hearing that the “human cost of litigation” loomed large.

A strategic conference is scheduled to be heard in public on Wednesday.

The face-to-face mediation forced Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz to return to Australia from France where they moved late last year.

At the time, the pair were seen in matching white linen outfits as they were farewelled at Brisbane International Airport by Ms Higgins’ parents at the business class gate.

If the mediation talks do not settle the respective cases, the matters will go to a six-week trial from July 24.

Senator Reynolds, who was awarded $90,000 by the ACT Government on Monday in a separate action, has also secured an undisclosed legal settlement from HarperCollins over Aaron Patrick’s book Ego.