Brittany Higgins has been reportedly taken to hospital for treatment after a marathon first round of mediation talks with her former boss and politician Linda Reynolds.
The former Liberal staffer is being sued by Ms Reynolds over a series of social media posts the Western Australian Senator claims defamed her.
It has been alleged that through the social media posts, Ms Higgins breached a non-disparagement clause in a settlement contract which prevented her from making negative comments about her former employer.
Ms Higgins flew back into Australia from her new home in the south of France to begin court-ordered mediation discussions with Ms Reynolds on Tuesday.
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However, after about nine-hours there was no result despite a judge urging both parties to settle outside of court to avoid the “human cost of litigation”.
It has been reported by multiple outlets that Ms Higgins was taken to Perth Royal Hospital for treatment on Tuesday night following the first round of talks.
One source told The Daily Telegraph she went to the hospital and was discharged on Wednesday. A hospital spokesperson told another Sydney publication there were no records of the former Liberal staffer being admitted to the facility.
It is not the first time Ms Higgins has been hospitalised during legal proceedings.
There were concerns for her mental health during the retrial of former Liberal colleague Bruce Lehrmann over her alleged rape allegation in December 2022.
The charges against Mr Lehrmann were dropped and the trial was abandoned.
Ms Higgins and Ms Reynolds were scheduled to resume mediation on Wednesday for a last ditch attempt to resolve the dispute but it was suddenly abandoned.
Discussions are set to restart "in due course and it is proposed that the matter be listed" for a directions hearing within weeks, according to a WA Supreme Court spokesperson.
Speaking to the media scrum outside court on Tuesday, the former Liberal staffer described Perth as a "difficult place to come back to".
"It’s beautiful, but just personally it’s hard being back in Perth," Ms Higgins said.
Ms Reynolds, who announced last month she will be retiring from politics when her term ends in 2025, was accompanied to court by her husband Robert Reid and lawyer.
She said she will wait until mediation ends before commenting publicly, also dodging questions over if her decision to retire had been influenced by the legal drama.
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2024-03-06 19:13:59Z
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