In a dramatic turn of events following the high-profile 2022 Wagatha Christie libel case, Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay Coleen Rooney £100,000 this month towards the money she owes. The case, which has captured the attention of the public, has seen Mrs Vardy ordered to pay 90% of Mrs Rooney’s legal costs after losing the trial.
During the trial, the judge ruled that it was “substantially true” that Mrs Vardy had leaked Mrs Rooney’s private information to the press, leading to a hefty legal bill. Barristers for both parties have been back at the High Court this week in a dispute over the costs, which have escalated from the original agreement of £540,779 to a staggering £1.8 million.
Mrs Vardy’s lawyers launched a new case arguing that Mrs Rooney’s legal team had committed misconduct by understating the legal bill during the 2022 case. However, senior costs judge Andrew Gordon-Saker dismissed many of Mrs Vardy’s claims and ruled that Mrs Rooney’s team had not engaged in misconduct.
Despite the ruling, Mrs Vardy is likely to pay less than the estimated £1.6 million she was instructed to pay, as the case is set to return to court next year for a detailed assessment of the costs. Mrs Rooney’s lawyer requested a further payment towards the bill, and Mr Gordon-Saker ordered Mrs Vardy to pay an additional £100,000 within 21 days.
This latest development marks the end of a set of preliminary issues, with the line-by-line assessment of costs set to determine the final amount to be paid. The case, which has been ongoing for five years, has been a source of intense public interest, with Mrs Rooney claiming on social media that Mrs Vardy’s account was the source of leaked stories to the Sun newspaper.
As the legal battle continues, both parties are urged to put the dispute behind them and move forward. The saga is far from over, with the final amount to be paid still to be determined in court next year.
