Rebekah Vardy launches appeal against Wagatha Christie £1.8m costs ruling

1 November 2024, 21:08 | Updated: 2 November 2024, 00:13

Rebekah Vardy 'threatens to reignite war with Coleen Rooney'
Rebekah Vardy 'threatens to reignite war with Coleen Rooney'. Picture: Alamy

By Henry Moore

In a new twist to the infamous Wagatha Christie case, Rebekah Vardy has launched an appeal bid against the cash she was ordered to pay Coleen Rooney.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Lawyers for the two women returned to the High Court last month in a bid to confirm how much money Vardy should pay Rooney after she lost her 2022 libel case.

Mrs Rooney had accused Mrs Vardy of leaking her private information to the press, with Wednesday marking the fifth anniversary of the viral social media post at the heart of the dispute.

Mrs Vardy sued her for libel, but Mrs Justice Steyn found in July 2022 that the allegation was "substantially true", ordering Vardy to pay Rooney a whopping £800,000.

Read more: Coleen Rooney 'signs up for I’m A Celeb' in wake of latest Wagatha Christie win

Read more: Rebekah Vardy ordered to pay Coleen Rooney further £100,000 after latest Wagatha Christie court battle

Last month she was ordered to pay a further £100,000.

This week, lawyers for the women appeared in court as Vardy attempts to have the cash she is expected to pay out reduced.

Coleen Rooney is rumoured to be appearing in this year's I'm A Celeb
Coleen Rooney is rumoured to be appearing in this year's I'm A Celeb. Picture: Alamy

In a three-day hearing, lawyers for Mrs Vardy - the wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy - argued that the sum should be reduced due to what they said was "serious misconduct" by Mrs Rooney's legal team, who allegedly "deliberately understated" her costs.

But Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker found "on balance and, I have to say, only just", that Mrs Rooney's legal team had not committed wrongdoing, and therefore it was "not an appropriate case" to reduce the amount of money that Mrs Vardy should pay.

Court documents revealed today show that Vardy has launched an appeal bid over the amount she was ordered to pay Rooney.

The previous hearing in London was told that Mrs Rooney's claimed legal bill - £1,833,906.89 - was more than three times her "agreed costs budget of £540,779.07", which Jamie Carpenter KC, for Mrs Vardy, said was "disproportionate".

Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy
Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy. Picture: Getty

He claimed that Mrs Rooney's legal team had committed misconduct by understating some of her costs so she could "use the apparent difference in incurred costs thereby created to attack the other party's costs", which was "knowingly misleading".

Robin Dunne, for Mrs Rooney, said that "there has been no misconduct" and that it was "illogical to say that we misled anyone".

He added that the argument that the amount owed should be reduced was "misconceived" and that the budget was "not designed to be an accurate or binding representation" of her overall legal costs.

Judge Gordon-Saker ruled that while there was a "failure to be transparent", it was not "sufficiently unreasonable or improper" to constitute misconduct.

He ordered Mrs Vardy to pay Mrs Rooney a further £100,000 ahead of the full amount owed being decided at a later date.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Storm Bert has begun to make an impact with snow closing roads

Storm Bert to wreak more havoc as more than 200 flood warnings issued across the UK for Sunday

Island nations which are vulnerable to climate change and some African countries have stormed out of COP29 in a row over funding.

Deal struck for $300bn for developing countries at COP29 after talks had looked set to collapse

A number of unidentified drones have been spotted over three airbases in Britain, the United States Air Force (USAF) has confirmed.

Security alert after unidentified drones spotted above three US-run RAF bases

Two-thirds of Brits support the assisted dying bill which are set to be voted on in the House of Commons next week.

'Two-thirds support assisted dying bill' poll claims after Justice Secretary expressed concerns about proposals

Russia is prepared to launch a flurry of cyber attacks on Britain and other NATO members to weaken resolve in support for Ukraine, minister Pat McFadden is set to warn the alliance.

Russia 'prepared to bash Britain with massive cyber attack', ministers to warn NATO conference

Exclusive
Singer Kate Nash says she has joined adult content site OnlyFans to sell 'pictures of [her] arse' in an interview with LBC's Natasha Devon.

'Sex work is really empowering': Singer Kate Nash tells LBC why she sells photos on OnlyFans

The UK is on a 'slippery slope to death on demand', Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said in a letter to constituents.

'Slippery slope to death on demand': Justice Secretary details concern over assisted dying debate

Novak Djokovic has appointed Andy Murray as his coach for the Australian Open.

Andy Murray to coach old rival Novak Djokovic at Australian Open after retiring in August

Island nations which are vulnerable to climate change and some African countries have stormed out of COP29 in a row over funding.

Negotiators from climate-vulnerable nations walk out of COP29 in row over funding deals

Putin has said he will fire more of Russia 's new hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine

Kremlin warns 'a collision between the nuclear powers' is imminent as West fires missiles into Russia

Coleen Rooney on I'm A Celeb

'Wagatha Christie strikes again': Coleen Rooney uncovers I'm A Celeb secret as she calls out campmates

Chloe Barlow is one of the small business owners who will be affected by the change

'It's a mess': Small businesses hit out at EU red tape set to cost thousands, and say 'government has been no help'

Foreign tourists ride on boat in a river in Vang Vieng

Laos government 'saddened' by deaths of tourists in Vang Vieng which include South London woman

Leading brands are dumping Captain Tom Moore’s daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore

Top brands distance themselves from Captain Tom’s daughter after she cashed in on her father's legacy

Euston station has reopened

Euston station reopens after bomb squad carry out 'controlled explosion'

At least 11 people have been killed and more than 60 injured, Lebanon's health ministry has stated

Huge Israeli air strikes hit residential building in central Beirut, killing at least 11 people