Brittany Higgins told journalist who broke alleged rape story Linda Reynolds ‘hated’ her, court hears

Journalist Samantha Maiden was called to give evidence in the WA senator's defamation trial against her former staffer

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Brittany Higgins felt toxic and told the journalist who broke the story about her alleged rape in Parliament House that Senator Linda Reynolds hated her.

The senator is suing Higgins, her former staffer - who is defending the claim - over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths that she believes damaged her reputation.

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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html