The Western Australia Supreme Court has ruled that former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds was defamed by her one-time staffer Brittany Higgins in a series of social-media posts, ending a highly publicised dispute that began after Higgins publicly alleged she was raped in Parliament House in 2019. Justice Paul Tottle found that two posts published by Higgins carried defamatory imputations and that Higgins had failed to prove a truth defence. Reynolds was awarded A$315,000 in damages and about A$26,000 in interest. A third defamation claim relating to 2023 posts succeeded in part for Higgins on the grounds of honest opinion and qualified privilege, while a separate allegation that Higgins and her partner David Sharaz conspired to damage Reynolds’ reputation was dismissed. The judgment concludes a 19-day trial held last August and September that placed intense scrutiny on the former senator’s handling of Higgins’ rape allegations and the subsequent political fallout. Reynolds had argued that the online posts suggested she had bullied and victimised Higgins, conduct the judge ruled was not substantiated. Higgins has yet to indicate whether she will appeal.