Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz have touched down in for a two-day showdown with Linda Reynolds.
Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins, her former employee, and Mr Sharaz for defamation in the WA Supreme Court over posts they each made on social media that she says damaged her reputation.
The couple arrived at the court on Tuesday morning, flanked by lawyers, for the first day of mediation talks.
Ms Higgins donned $1300 a cornflower blue ‘Ahana Dress’ with long sleeves and a belt while her fiance sported a $200 Ralph Lauren silk knit tie as they swanned into the building before Ms Reynolds.
The senator also arrived with her lawyers, and holding her partner’s hand.
Mediations are held after Judge Marcus Solomon urged the parties to resolve the issue before going to trial, citing immense costs that are often associated with defamation proceedings.
If successful, the matters could be resolved and a trial could be avoided altogether.
Brittany Higgins arrived at WA Supreme Court on Tuesday to a media circus (pictured)
Brittany Higgins is pictured walking into court on Tuesday morning in a cornflour blue dress, alongside her lawyer Leon Zwier
David Sharaz is pictured, left, outside WA Supreme Court on Tuesday
Justice Solomon is said to be so concerned about the matter going to trial that he may participate in the mediation session.
If he does get involved in the court-ordered mediation and the parties are unable to reach an agreement, he will not be able to preside over the six-week defamation trial in July.
Ms Reynolds’ defamation case centres on tweets by Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz that she claims imply she pressured Ms Higgins not to proceed with a police complaint regarding the alleged rape, and that she interfered with Mr Lehrmann’s trial.
She also claims Ms Higgins defamed her in an Instagram post and a subsequent tweet in July last year.
Ms Higgins allegedly breached a non-disparagement clause in a settlement contract she entered in 2021, preventing her from speaking negatively about Ms Reynolds.
The senator is seeking aggravated damages, an injunction to stop Ms Higgins from publishing allegedly defamatory material, and another injunction to stop her from breaching the settlement contract.
Linda Reynolds is pictured outside WA Supreme Court on Tuesday, holding her partner’s hand
Linda Reynolds (pictured outside court on Tuesday) claims she was defamed in social media posts
Ms Reynolds has also accused Mr Sharaz of defaming her in five social media posts, which were allegedly ‘falsely defamatory’ and caused her ‘loss and damage’.
The senator first threatened legal action in July last year, claiming she has been the target of ‘unwarranted criticism and abuse’ since Ms Higgins went public with her rape allegations in 2021.
Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz permanently relocated to France at the end of last year, having bought a house near Bordeaux.
They had no plans to return to , but they were required to attend court in Perth on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It comes just months after Ms Reynolds sought to freeze Ms Higgins’ assets.
She wrote a letter to Ms Higgins’ lawyer Leon Zwier in December, pointing to reports stating the former political staffer had permanently moved to France.
‘If such reports are true, we consider that an application for freezing orders is appropriate,’ the letter read.
‘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.’
More to come