National

Higgins legal saga brought to a close with settlement

By Lucinda Garbutt-Young, Farid Farid

Jul 29, 2026

Ex-Liberal staffer Fiona Brown — Fiona Brown has reached a settlement after becoming embroiled in the Brittany Higgins matter. -AAP Image

Further political fallout from the Brittany Higgins saga has been avoided following the settlement of a workplace lawsuit.

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Ex-Liberal staffer Fiona Brown, the former chief of staff to then senator Linda Reynolds, launched legal action against the Commonwealth in 2025.

She alleged the Commonwealth failed to stop her from becoming embroiled in a political storm following Ms Higgins' allegations that she was raped in Parliament House by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann.

Ms Brown alleged former prime minister Scott Morrison and senior office staff did not allow her to publicly defend herself against allegations that she had participated in a political cover-up.

If the matter was not settled, it would have reached a Federal Court trial in 2027, during which Mr Morrison would be put under oath.

But the matter was resolved following mediation earlier in July, with a confidential settlement.

The settlement brings to a close the final litigation related to Brittany Higgins, which has included lengthy court cases and compensation claims since 2021.

A spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the government noted an agreement had been reached.

"It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time due to privacy considerations, legal professional privilege and confidentiality obligations," the spokesperson said.

The Federal Court in 2024 found in a high-profile defamation trial, on the balance of probabilities, Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins.

He later attempted to appeal the decision, but was rejected by the High Court.

Lehrmann has denied the allegation and said no criminal findings had been made against him.

Separately, Ms Higgins joined a coalition of 26 community services and legal academics on Wednesday calling for reforms allowing adult sexual assault complainants to be given the option to pre-record their evidence in NSW, marking the end of her legal, saga.

They argue that current court rules cause unnecessary harm and distress, with serious impacts on survivors' wellbeing, healing and recovery.

"Justice shouldn't require survivors to put their lives on hold," Ms Higgins said.

"The option to pre-record evidence recognises that every day spent waiting for trial is another day carrying the emotional weight of what happened to you."