Higgins’ cash in senator’s sights as asset freeze mooted
Former Liberal minister Linda Reynolds is considering seeking a court-ordered freeze of Brittany Higgins’ assets in the wake of her move to France.
Senator Reynolds – Ms Higgins’ former boss – is suing both Ms Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz, for defamation over social media posts on Twitter and Instagram.
Her lawyers wrote to Ms Higgins’ lawyer Leon Zwier on Tuesday signalling they plan to ask the Supreme Court of Western Australia for the freeze orders, which restrain a party to a case from selling or moving assets while a legal action is still in process.
There is no suggestion that either defendant has done either of those things.
The correspondence follows
Ms Higgins’ departure from Australia on Monday night to start a new life in France.
An extract of the letter sent to Ms Higgins was obtained by The Australian.
“If such reports are true, we consider that an application for freezing orders is appropriate,’’ the letter states.
“Please advise as a matter of urgency your client’s intentions in respect of her travel to
France and your availability to confer in respect of our client’s proposed application.”
Ms Higgins, who secured a $2.44m payout from the Albanese government a year ago on her 28th birthday, is believed to have purchased her first home in the south of France for about $600,000.
Ms Higgins told the court during her testimony that after she paid tax and legal fees to personal injury lawyer Noor Blumer, she received $1.9m.
If true, she could still have assets somewhere in the vicinity of $1.3m, minus whatever living expenses she has used this year when she rented a home on the Gold Coast and took several overseas trips with Mr Sharaz to the Maldives, Paris and Geneva.
The federal government paid Ms Higgins last year on a “no admissions” basis after her abandoned rape trial and following a complaint against her former bosses Senator Reynolds and Michaelia Cash.
Senator Reynolds and Ms Higgins have been contacted for comment.
Western Australian Supreme Court judge Marcus Solomon has previously urged the parties to settle the defamation dispute.