Brittany Higgins has been dealt another financial blow after her former boss launched bankruptcy proceedings to recoup costs awarded from her defamation win.

Former WA senator Linda Reynolds sued Higgins over a series of social media posts the ex-Liberal senator believed damaged her reputation.

A Western Australian Supreme Court in August found the posts were defamatory and awarded damages of $315,000 plus $26,109 interest to Reynolds.

Higgins was also ordered to pay 80 per cent of Reynolds’ yet-to-be-determined legal costs, but is appealing elements of the judgment.

She is challenging the damages and costs orders, and the finding that she breached a 2021 deed of settlement between the pair by referring to herself as a “defamation victim” in an Instagram post.

Reynolds confirmed on Tuesday that she has filed a creditor’s petition in the Federal Court, claiming Ms Higgins “failed to comply” with a bankruptcy notice issued to her several weeks ago.

“It is unfortunate that I have to take this step in this long-running saga,” she said in a statement.

“As I have said, this is conduct which comes as no surprise to me however what should be plain now is that I am committed to seeing this through to the end.”

Federal Court records show the former senator filed the bankruptcy proceedings against Higgins on Friday.

Higgins’ husband David Sharaz has also been served with similar bankruptcy proceedings by Reynolds.

The ex-political staffer apologised to Reynolds following the former defence minister’s high-profile five-week defamation trial victory in September 2024.

The trial centred on a tweet Higgins and her husband published in January 2022, which carried imputations that Reynolds pressured Higgins not to proceed with a sexual assault complaint and that she was a hypocrite in her advocacy of gender equality and female empowerment.

Justice Paul Tottle found Higgins’ social media posts were defamatory.