Law Report Special: Linda Reynolds wins defamation battle against Brittany Higgins

Former Coalition Federal Minister Linda Reynolds has won her defamation case against former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins.

It has been widely reported that both parties literally put their houses on the line to fund their legal campaigns and today, almost a year after the trial wrapped, Justice Paul Tottle of the WA Supreme Court ordered that Brittany Higgins pay Linda Reynolds $315,000 in damages and $26,000 in interest.

The trial centred on three social media posts written by Brittany Higgins, four years after she alleges she was raped in parliament house by her then colleague Bruce Lehrmann.  The social media posts criticised her then boss Linda Reynolds.

Defamation law expert Dr Jessica Lake joins host Damien Carrick to analyse why Higgins legal team defences of truth, fair comment and qualified privilege mostly failed and what this will mean for future defamation cases.

 To hear more in-depth expert coverage of the important legal stories and cases of the week search for The Law Report podcast on the ABC Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Guest: Defamation Law expert Dr Jessica Lake from Melbourne University Law School