<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Former prime minister </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/scott-morrison" rel="" target="" title="Scott Morrison"><span>Scott Morrison</span></a><span> is among dozens of people being sought by government lawyers as they build a defence against a compensation claim by </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/brittany-higgins" rel="" target="" title="Brittany Higgins'"><span>Brittany Higgins'</span></a><span> former boss.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The former Liberal leader was ensnared in Fiona Brown's case after she alleged he made a false statement to parliament after the Higgins rape scandal erupted in 2021.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Brown, a former staffer in Morrison's office, is suing the Commonwealth for damages, saying the government gagged her from responding to accusations about her handling of Higgins' claims.</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/national/man-dead-hospital-geelong/1e0f705f-9dbc-4c7c-bd4f-08bfa792e6ce" target="_blank"><strong><span>Man found dead in Geelong hospital, patient put under guard</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She held a leadership role in the then-prime minister's office in February 2021 and was chief of staff to then-senator Linda Reynolds in 2019 when Higgins says a fellow Reynolds staffer raped her in Parliament House.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Her lawsuit returned to the Federal Court today when Justice Nye Perram ordered mediation in late April or early May after the Commonwealth filed its defence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The federal government's barrister, Matthew Minucci, asked for additional time to prepare the document, saying his client needed to contact the 32 people named in Brown's lawsuit, including Morrison.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/expm-scott-morrison-ensnared-in-legal-battle-over-brittany-higgins-scandal/cf3e70d0-a6d3-4ba2-82e6-d27fc5d6dbbd" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Brown's amended statement of claim was filed in late November.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Perram agreed to hold two separate hearings for the matter, first on arguments about the government's liability for the alleged failures and the amount of damages it will have to pay.</span></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/maralago-shooting-us-secret-service-shoots-man-at-donald-trumps-florida-residence/46f8705e-f4dd-4894-979f-de682908e330" target="_blank"><strong><span>Gunman shot dead at Trump's Florida home of Mar-a-Lago identified as missing 21-year-old</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A second hearing on penalties will then be held if the government does not successfully defend the lawsuit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a 106-page court filing, Brown alleges she was sidelined from leadership meetings and the then-prime minister refused to talk to her after the scandal broke in early 2021.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The documents then claim Labor later used question time to probe Morrison about claims Brown had not supported Higgins, leading the prime minister to say: "I have had these conversations with the member of staff".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I have discussed with her those matters and the support provided to her at the time in the messages that were sent to her," he told parliament.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Morrison subsequently spoke briefly with Brown for the first and only time, she claims.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We've spoken, haven't we?" he allegedly said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The filing said a "bewildered" Brown responded "yes" and Morrison walked off.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"(Brown) complained that she felt frightened, intimidated and distressed by prime minister Morrison," the filing said.</span></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/national/coalition-pushes-to-criminalise-help-for-isis-brides/973d61c5-4557-485d-be8d-e5aba8991a61" target="_blank"><strong><span>Coalition plan to criminalise any help given to those with Islamic State links</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The former prime minister has been contacted for comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The ex-aide also accuses Morrison and his top-level advisers of stopping her from personally responding to allegedly false allegations made by Higgins.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Higgins' appearance on Network Ten's </span><em><span>The Project</span></em><span> included identifying Brown by name and accusing her of misconduct for the mishandling of the rape, the documents said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Brown also claimed that, contradicting Higgins' claim was a text she allegedly sent to Brown, thanking her for her support immediately after the rape.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Suing under the Fair Work Act, Brown alleges the federal government scapegoated and sidelined her, causing her psychological injury to the point she attempted suicide.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In an earlier Federal Court case, Justice Michael Lee found she had shown compassion and integrity in her handling of Higgins' complaint but she had been unfairly "vilified as an unfeeling apparatchik" seeking to cover up a crime.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lee's finding that, on the balance of probabilities, Bruce Lehrmann raped Higgins was confirmed by the full Federal Court in December.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lehrmann's criminal trial was derailed due to juror misconduct.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/"><strong><span>Lifeline 13 11 14</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/"><strong><span>Beyond Blue</span></strong></a><span> </span><strong><span> 1300 22 4636.</span></strong><span></span></div></div>