Six years on from the Parliament House sexual assault allegations that spurred a public reckoning, the legal fallout continues. This time, a court has found former Western Australian Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds was defamed on social media by former staffer Brittany Higgins.

Pending any appeal, the judgment of Justice Paul Tottle in the WA Supreme Court puts an end to a bitter and lengthy saga of accusations and counter accusations between the two women.

Higgins has been ordered to pay a total of $315,000 in damages, plus interest, to Reynolds. As legal costs have not yet been awarded, this is the tip of the financial iceberg.

So what was up for debate in this latest chapter? Here’s how the case played out.

After so many years of litigation, you’d be forgiven for forgetting how we got here. Let’s recap.

In 2023, Reynolds sued Higgins’ then-boyfriend (now husband) David Sharaz, and then later Higgins herself, over a series of social media posts the pair made in 2022 and 2023.

Sharaz did not contest the claims made against him, saying he couldn’t afford the legal fees.

Reynolds launched her legal action before the verdict was delivered in the separate case of Bruce Lehrmann suing Network 10 for defamation. In that case, Justice Michael Lee

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