Linda Reynolds threatens to SUE Tanya Plibersek for defamation over TV interview and gives her 28 days to make amends and pay up
- Linda Reynolds ‘suing Tanya Plibersek for defamation’
- Legal action triggered by comments on Sunrise
Linda Reynolds is threatening to sue Tanya Plibersek for defamation over comments she made about the former defence minister’s knowledge of Brittany Higgins‘ rape allegations.
The Liberal Senator sent the Environment Minister a defamation concerns notice over remarks she made on Sunrise Tuesday morning, The Australian reported.
The comments which triggered the legal action were involving Ms Higgins’ allegations she was sexually assaulted by Bruce Lehrmann while they both worked in Senator Reynolds’ office.
Ms Reynolds has told Ms Plibersek she has 28 days to provide a signed apology and retract her comments.
She is also asking for her legal costs to be covered and to be paid an ‘appropriate sum to compensate… for the damage caused by the publication’.
Mr Lehrmann denies the allegations, and a criminal trial crumbled in 2022 due to juror misconduct.
The Liberal Senator filed a defamation concerns notice over the Environment Minister’s comments, which were made on Sunrise on Tuesday morning
Ms Plibersek said on Tuesday: ‘The central point here is that a young woman made an allegation that she had been in her workplace and that it had been inappropriately investigated, even covered up by her employers.’
According to the publication, Ms Reynolds will argue Ms Plibersek’s comments implied she ‘acted to conceal or hide the commission of a criminal offence’ and ‘acted inappropriately during the investigation of the Brittany Higgins’ allegations’.
‘Each of the above imputations are totally false, without basis and constitute serious defamations of my client,’ a concerns notice read.
‘You have portrayed an inaccurate and harmful depiction of my client that has prompted damaging speculation amongst the public as to my client’s conduct.’
Ms Higgins herself was critical of Ms Reynolds’ handling of her complaint at the time, and Ms Reynolds famously called Ms Higgins a ‘lying cow’ in an open-plan area of her office in Parliament House.
Ms Plibersek said on Tuesday: ‘The central point here is that a young woman made an allegation that she had been in her workplace and that it had been inappropriately investigated, even covered up by her employers.’
The Liberal senator paid damages to Ms Higgins (left) over the comments, which were later donated to the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre
The inference at the time was that Ms Reynolds was questioning whether Ms Higgins was raped at all – but Senator Reynolds claims she was responding to allegations that she and chief-of-staff Fiona Brown had failed to offer support to the young staffer.
Ms Reynolds and Ms Brown have continually claimed they did offer support to Ms Higgins, while the former staffer claims she believed her job was on the line.
The Liberal senator paid damages to Ms Higgins over the comments, which were later donated to the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre.
