London, UK — A legal dispute characterized by intense public scrutiny and social media intrigue, often referred to as the “Wagatha Christie” case, saw Coleen Rooney defend her legal expenses as a High Court judge dismissed allegations of misconduct by her legal team against Rebekah Vardy. The ruling follows a libel lawsuit in which Vardy, the plaintiff, accused Rooney of defamation, only to lose the case last year.
The legal battle ignited from a 2019 incident where Rooney accused Vardy, or someone using her Instagram account, of leaking private stories to the media, a claim that was later ruled “substantially true” by Mrs. Justice Steyn in July 2022. Following the verdict, the court ordered Vardy to cover 90% of Rooney’s legal fees, which accrued to an initial sum of £800,000.
However, the payment of these fees sparked further contention. Vardy challenged the enormity of the legal fees presented by Rooney, totaling £1,833,906.89, far surpassing the preliminary budget of £540,779.07. Jamie Carpenter KC, representing Vardy, labeled the claimed expenses “disproportionate” and accused Rooney’s legal team of subtly understating costs to challenge the counterpart’s financial claims—allegations they staunchly denied.
Robin Dunne, representing Rooney, refuted any wrongdoing, clarifying that no misleading of financial figures occurred and described the counterclaim as illogical. He argued that the budgeted amount was not meant to bind the total legal expenditures accurately.
Addressing these accusations, the senior costs judge Andrew Gordon-Saker acknowledged a lapse in transparency from Rooney’s side. Nonetheless, he ruled that this omission did not rise to the level of misconduct and again favored Rooney in the verdict.
The ongoing legal saga took another turn when Vardy sought to appeal the decisions claiming severe misconduct. Nevertheless, her appeals have been consistently dismissed by the court, maintaining that the judge’s decisions were legitimate. Most recently, Mr. Justice Cavanagh underscored the validity of the prior rulings in dismissing Vardy’s latest appeal.
This case has not only captivated the public due to its ties with high-profile personalities like Jamie Vardy, a seasoned Leicester City striker, and Wayne Rooney, a former star at Manchester United but also raised questions on privacy, media responsibility, and the complexities of legal costs in libel cases.
The total amount that Vardy owes will be determined at a later proceeding, furthering an already protracted legal battle. Both parties had remained relatively silent in the media about the most recent developments.
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