Judge Orders Vardy to Pay Rooney over £1.4m in Legal Fees
Fresh Rewrite
In a court ruling, Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to shell out at least £1.4 million in legal costs to Coleen Rooney, marking the culmination of their high-profile libel tussle.
During a hearing on Tuesday, a specialist court was informed that Vardy had agreed to pay close to £1.2 million to Rooney following their unsuccessful lawsuit in 2022. However, the presiding judge decided that was not enough and demanded a higher amount.
The high-profile court case erupted in 2019 when Rooney accused Vardy on social media of dishing her private information to the press. The latter unsuccessfully tried to sue Rooney in a heated libel battle that garnered considerable public attention and later took center stage in a TV dramatization.
After losing the battle, the judge ordered Vardy to pay 90% of Rooney's costs, including an initial payment of £800,000. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Vardy had agreed to pay £1.19 million of Rooney’s legal bill. Rooney also requested an additional £315,000 in "assessment costs."
Costs Judge Mark Whalan deemed it "reasonable and proportionate" for Vardy to pay an extra £212,266 of Rooney’s assessment costs, taking the total to at least £1.4 million. The judge expressed hope that this ends a long and unfortunate disagreement.
Vardy's barrister, Juliet Wells, criticized Rooney’s original £1.8 million legal bill as being inflated, citing costs for press briefings and aspects to which Vardy had no entitlement. Claiming that the bill could have been settled sooner, she added that Vardy had offered to settle the legal bill for £1.1 million, but the offer was turned down.
Robin Dunne, counsel for Rooney, argued that Vardy had been drip-feeding settlement offers and that her lawyers had to complete additional work due to the media frenzy generated by Vardy's team during the case hearings. He labeled Vardy as the author of her own misfortune.
This row began as the "Wagatha Christie" investigation, dubbed after Rooney – a former wife and girlfriend (WAG) of an England star – who claimed she had identified the source of leaking stories about her to the press.
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[1] The Telegraph – Rebekah Vardy ordered to pay £1.4m in costs to Coleen Rooney[2] The Guardian – Rebekah Vardy loses libel case from Coleen Rooney[3] The Sun – Rebekah Vardy ordered to pay £1.4m in costs to Coleen Rooney from Wagatha Christie libel trial[4] BBC News – Rebekah Vardy loses libel case against Coleen Rooney[5] MailOnline – Coleen Rooney and other stars revealed for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! line-up[6] The Guardian – No misconduct by Coleen Rooney's lawyers in 'Wagatha Christie' case, says judge[7] The Mirror – Coleen Rooney claims her legal fees during Wagatha Christie libel battle with Rebekah Vardy more than £1.8m, court hears
- In the conclusion of their protracted libel dispute, Rebekah Vardy was ordered by Judge Mark Whalan to pay at least £1.4 million in legal costs to Coleen Rooney.
- During a hearing on Tuesday, it was revealed that Vardy had agreed to pay £1.19 million of Rooney’s legal bill, but the judge deemed it necessary that she pay an additional £212,266 in assessment costs.
- After Rooney accused Vardy of leaking her private information to the press in 2019, they engaged in a high-profile libel battle that covered both general-news and entertainment sectors, as well as sports.
- Robin Dunne, counsel for Rooney, defended the inflated legal bill, stating it included costs for press briefings and work generated by Vardy's team's media frenzy during the trial hearings.
