Linda Reynolds’ lawyer has hit back at a letter Bruce Lehrmann’s team fired off on Tuesday – after the senator described him as ‘shifty’ in court.

Ms Reynolds has long maintained that she did try to help Ms Higgins and claims Ms Higgins’ posts damaged her reputation.

He said Ms Reynolds ‘had marvellous intuition… she thought Lehrmann was shifty’.

Four days later, Ms Reynolds’ team was hit with a letter from Lehrmann’s lawyer Zali Burrows claiming the term ‘shifty’ implied he was ‘a deceptive, crooked, fraudulent and dishonest character’.

In the letter, the term ‘shifty’ was described as a ‘character assassination’.

Lehrmann’s team also took issue with evidence Ms Reynolds gave on Monday, when she said he had lied about being friendly with former ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis in 2019.

Lehrmann is not a party to the current defamation proceedings, nor is he a witness.

Daily Mail Australia can now reveal Mr Bennett replied to Ms Burrows later that same day, pointing out her letter was dated incorrectly.

(Pictured below: Linda Reynolds with her lawyer, Martin Bennett outside WA Supreme Court; Zali Burrows outside Federal Court in Sydney)

Mr Bennett wrote: ‘I refer to your letter sent by email to Ms Ross of my office 6 August 2024 enclosing your letter that (for unknown reasons) is dated August 8.’

He explained court proceedings are subject to privilege, which means Ms Reynolds was free to describe Lehrmann in whatever way she liked without fear of prosecution.

‘Proceedings in court enjoy absolute privilege,’ he wrote.

‘The reference to Senator Reynolds describing your client as “shifty” was read from the notes of the Assistant Commissioner Leanne Close noting conversations on April 4, 2019.’

He then referred to the evidence his client gave about Lehrmann’s apparent connection to the former ASIO Director-General.

Mr Bennett said that information was obtained due to notes taken by Ms Reynolds’ former chief-of-staff Fiona Brown in 2019, just after relevant conversations took place.

‘The evidence concerning Mr Lehrmann claiming to be friends with Mr Duncan Lewis is evidence supported by contemporaneous notes taken in 2019 by Ms Brown,’ Mr Bennett wrote.

‘It was one of the factors considered by Senator Reynolds in terminating Mr Lehrmann’s employment.

‘The assumption that these comments are not relevant to these proceedings is a false assumption.

He then said that Ms Reynolds would not ‘fact check’ her evidence with Lehrmann, adding: ‘Each of the demands contained in your letter is categorically refused.’