The best man at Brittany Higgins’ extravagant Gold Coast wedding to David Sharaz on Saturday reportedly cracked two tongue-in-cheek jokes – one of which made the room fall silent.
Brittany Higgins’ partner David Sharaz has taken to social media to announce he will no longer be contesting a defamation case launched by Linda Reynolds.
“I cannot afford to pay legal costs to defend myself over a six-week trial. As a result, I have today informed the court that I will not fight Reynolds’ legal action anymore,” Mr Sharaz said in a statement posted to X.
“I now appeal for Senator Reynolds to settle her litigation against Brittany, a rape victim, by agreeing to disagree and putting all this behind them. It’s time to move on. It’s time to let Brittany heal.”
The trial on this matter is currently scheduled for July 24.
About 80 guests attended The Valley Estate on Saturday for the French-themed wedding, which is said to have cost more than $100,000.
Those who attended the intimate chapel ceremony also enjoyed a French-style dinner as Mr Sharaz’s sister performed Édith Piaf’s famous ‘La vie en rose’, according to Daily Mail Australia.
During the dinner speeches, the maid of honour, senior government advisor Emma Webster, jokingly called Mr Sharaz a “bridezilla”.
The wedding guests reportedly laughed as the best man, Alan Horner, joked that he was concerned Lisa Wilkinson might make a speech, even though she was not invited.
He is said to have then joked that he was not invited to Mr Sharaz’s first wedding, to political advisor Alexandra Craig in 2018, but it did not receive the same response.
It is understood the room then went silent.
During speeches, the maid of honour, senior government advisor Emma Webster, jokingly called Mr Sharaz a “bridezilla”. Picture: davidsharaz/Instagram
After a gourmet three-course meal, the couple presented themselves as husband and wife for the first time.
Last week, Martin Bennett, the lawyer for Senator Linda Reynolds – who is suing the couple for defamation over social media posts suggesting the politician and her staff tried to cover up the assault – said he had applied to get a copy of documentation in relation to a trust account in her name in case Ms Higgins cannot pay damages if she loses the case
In May, Mr Sharaz said he would not contest it as he could not afford an ongoing legal battle with Ms Reynolds.
A day before their wedding, Bruce Lehrmann, who was found to have raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities in Parliament House in 2019, filed to appeal the judgement that was handed down in April.
In December of 2023, Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins bought a chateau in the south of France with the $2.4 million she received in compensation from the Commonwealth over its handling of the allegations.
After the ruling handed down by Justice Michael Lee, Ms Higgins released a statement that said she had lived with “shame, humiliation, and fear” after going public with her rape allegation against Mr Lehrmann.
“The toxic culture in Parliament House was not something I just imagined,” she wrote.
“I felt compelled to tell my story.
“It is now time to heal.”