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Dyson Heydon victims secure settlement
The victims of sexual harassment by former High Court justice Dyson Heydon have secured a six-figure compensation payout from the federal government.
Naomi Neilson
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash has confirmed that Rachel Patterson Collins, Chelsea Tabart and Alex Eggerking were awarded a secret compensation payout reported to exceed more than a million dollars. In making the announcement, Ms Cash said the government had listened to and apologised to all three women.
Maurice Blackburn workplace lawyer Josh Bornstein, who represented the women, said in a tweet that he was “exceedingly proud, chuffed and stoked” about the result.
In June 2020, the High Court confirmed that an independent inquiry headed up by Dr Thom found justice Heydon had sexually harassed six women while they worked as judges’ associates. In a statement, Chief Justice Susan Kiefel AC said the findings were of “extreme concern” and was “ashamed this could have happened”.
The Commonwealth engaged in “good faith” discussions with the three women to resolve their claims. Ms Cash said their claims were taken “very seriously”.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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