<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/brittany-higgins" rel="" target="" title="Brittany Higgins"><span>Brittany Higgins</span></a><span> is appealing elements of her costly defamation battle loss to her former boss, adding another chapter to the bitter legal saga.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Linda Reynolds sued Higgins over a series of social media posts the ex-Liberal senator believed damaged her reputation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Western Australian Supreme Court in August found the posts were defamatory and awarded damages of $315,000 plus $26,109 interest to Reynolds.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-uk-visit-king-charles-iii-prepares-to-welcome-trump-windsor-castle/3fc8ad29-f31f-4424-9b29-6c6fbd5fe706" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump fixated on 'so healthy, so beautiful' host</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Higgins was also ordered to pay 80 per cent of Reynolds' legal costs, which are yet to be determined, in a judgment published last week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The former political staffer is appealing the damages award and the costs order, according to documents filed in the WA Court of Appeal yesterday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She's also seeking to challenge the finding that she breached a 2021 deed of settlement between the pair with an Instagram post referring to her being a defamation victim.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/wa-courts-brittany-higgins-lodges-appeal-over-costly-defamation-loss-to-former-boss-linda-reynolds/821cb156-9c1c-4a0e-91f4-ce3a06058ff6" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/jimmy-kimmel-show-pulled-offair-indefinitely-after-charlie-kirk-remarks/2d96c5ce-aa33-4e98-9406-1e9b48a30e0f" target="_blank"><strong><span>Jimmy Kimmel yanked off air over Charlie Kirk comments</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Higgins previously apologised to Reynolds after the former defence minister emerged victorious from the duo's high-profile five-week defamation trial, which ended in September 2024.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Justice Paul Tottle found Higgins' social media posts carried an array of imputations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They included Reynolds engaged in a campaign of harassment against Higgins, mishandled her rape allegation and engaged in questionable conduct during Bruce Lehrmann's aborted criminal trial for rape.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Justice Tottle's 360-page judgment made factual findings about the events involving Reynolds and Higgins, including her alleged 2019 rape and the events in the years after it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Higgins made 26 false or misleading statements in media interviews after her alleged sexual assault, it said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She alleges former co-worker Lehrmann raped her in the senator's ministerial suite.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A Federal Court judge overseeing a defamation case launched by Lehrmann against Network Ten found Higgins was, on the balance of probabilities, raped by her former co-worker in the office.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lehrmann is appealing that finding.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He has always denied the rape allegation and his criminal trial was derailed by juror misconduct.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.</span></strong></div></div>