Brittany Higgins’ French home in Lunas, Dordogne, is up for sale after Linda Reynolds’ libel lawsuit shattered her rustic dream
EXCLUSIVE
Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz have listed their tax-financed French home for sale on a local real estate website, with an asking price of approximately $685,000.
The newlyweds bought the rustic three-bedroom home in Lunas, in the historic Dordogne region, last year, about six months after she was awarded $2.4 million in damages by the Commonwealth for her alleged rape in 2019.
In December, they left Brisbane Airport dressed head to toe in white – apparently a symbol of ‘strength’ and new beginnings – with the intention of moving permanently to France.
However, their European dream was abruptly shattered by the ongoing libel battle with Linda Reynolds, Higgins’ former boss, over social media posts that the senator says damaged her reputation.
In July, it was reported that the couple had to sell the home, which they had purchased for about $600,000, to pay the fees of defamation lawyers, who can charge more than $8,000 for a single day in court.
Daily Mail Australia can now report that their 3-acre estate – complete with three bedrooms, a pond and a swimming pool – is for sale for €420,000 (AU$685,000).
They are reportedly considering moving back to Australia before the birth of their first child.
Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz reportedly moved to France permanently last year
Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz’s home in France (pictured) is for sale, with an asking price of approximately $685,000
The house is filled with 19th century style furniture, Chesterfield sofas and a fireplace
According to the online listing, the two-storey house features a living room with a wood-burning stove and exposed beams, two bathrooms, a garage and a cellar, with traditional large windows overlooking the grounds.
“A house full of charm on a beautiful plot with a swimming pool and a pond,” the website states.
The house is filled with 19th-century style furniture, a marble bust, wooden sculptures, understated portraits, decorative antlers, Chesterfield sofas, vases, lamps and side tables.
The unique interior in the property photos appears to match the furniture in the background of several images on the couple’s Instagram pages.
It is unclear whether the furnishings are included in the price.
Ms Higgins was due to return to Australia last week to give evidence in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in her case against Ms Reynolds, but she was excused after reports were filed into her mental health.
Her lawyer Rachael Young SC told the court she was confident they would win the case even without Ms Higgins’ evidence.
This week the closing statements began.
The house also has a living room with a separate kitchen (pictured), furnished with heavy wooden furniture
The two-story house (pictured) has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a swimming pool and a pond
According to the estate agency’s website, the property has a downstairs bathroom and an ensuite bathroom upstairs
If she loses the case, Ms. Higgins will have to pay her own legal fees, along with Ms. Reynolds’s fees. The entire case is estimated to cost $2 million.
Mr Sharaz is also being sued by the Liberal senator, but he conceded defeat in April, saying he did not have the financial resources to pursue the case. Costs have yet to be determined, but he will have to cover his fees and those of Ms Reynolds.
He has not had a full-time job since he left his media role at Southern Cross Austereo in Brisbane in 2023, shortly after Ms Reynolds announced she would sue him.
Ms Higgins was awarded $2.445 million in damages by the government for the way her former bosses, Ms Reynolds and Senator Michaelia Cash, and the wider Coalition government handled her allegations of rape in Parliament House in 2019.
She accused them of not supporting her enough, but both senators were excluded from legal mediation talks with the Commonwealth.
David Sharaz is pictured during their first and only Christmas in their Lunas home
The sprawling farm is located in the small town of Lunas, in the south of France (pictured)
Under the settlement agreement, she was awarded $1.48 million for loss of earning capacity over 40 years; $400,000 for injury, distress and humiliation; $220,000 for medical expenses; $100,000 for home help; and $245,000 for legal fees.
When the case was heard, Ms Higgins’ rape claims had not yet been proven in court.
Ms Reynolds has filed a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the compensation.
The rape case has not yet been proven by the criminal court, but in April, Federal Court Judge Michael Lee ruled in his ruling in a related civil case that her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann had likely raped Ms Higgins.
