Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay Coleen Rooney an additional £100,000 in the ongoing Wagatha Christie libel battle. Barristers representing both parties appeared in court to settle a dispute over legal costs after Vardy lost her High Court claim against Rooney in 2022. The case stemmed from Rooney’s accusation that Vardy had leaked her private information to the press on social media. This latest development comes on the fifth anniversary of the viral post that ignited the dispute.
Following the initial ruling, Vardy was directed to pay 90% of Rooney’s legal fees, with an initial payment of £800,000. However, in a recent hearing, senior costs judge Andrew Gordon-Saker ordered Vardy to pay an additional £100,000 to Rooney within 21 days. The hearing, which neither woman attended, addressed preliminary issues before a full assessment of costs is conducted to determine the final amount owed. Judge Gordon-Saker urged the parties to swiftly resolve the matter and move on from the legal battle.
The highly publicised case dates back to 2019 when Rooney accused Vardy of being the source behind leaked stories in The Sun newspaper. The court ruled in Rooney’s favour in 2022, finding Vardy’s account to be the likely source of the leaks and that Vardy had condoned the behaviour. Vardy’s legal representative argued that Rooney’s claimed bill of £1,833,906.89 was excessive, while Rooney’s counsel countered that Vardy’s conduct had inflated the costs.
The ongoing legal saga between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney continues to unfold as the two navigate the complexities of their high-profile dispute. The next step involves a detailed assessment of costs to determine the final amount owed, with the hope of resolving the matter in early 2025. The ruling serves as a reminder of the consequences of high-profile conflicts in the public eye and the legal intricacies involved in resolving them.