Brittany Higgins has been ordered to pay the majority of ex-senator Linda Reynolds’ legal costs after a court found she defamed her former boss in a series of social media posts in 2023.

The Supreme Court of Western Australia ruling, published on Tuesday, comes two weeks after Higgins was ordered to pay Reynolds $315,000 in damages for falsely claiming the cabinet minister harassed her and mishandled her rape complaint.

The former Liberal staffer will now also have to cover 80 per cent of Reynolds’ legal bill, which includes the appointment of high-profile Perth lawyer Martin Bennett as her counsel during a five-week defamation trial in 2024.

In making the finding, Tottle said a settlement offer made by Higgins in the days before the trial commenced was not reasonable, and did not conta

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