Rebekah Vardy‘s court showdown against Coleen Rooney has concluded – and the wife of Wayne Rooney looked triumphant as the legal fee battle came to a close.
Coleen beat Vardy in court again, leaving her to pick up another hefty bill. It comes after the Liverpudlian’s legal team were cleared of claims they “knowingly mislead” the WAG.
The legal teams for the two WAGS found themselves back in court this week after Vardy’s legal team accused Coleen of “deliberately deceiving” the court over the £1.8 million Wagatha Christie court costs. Former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Rebekah was ordered to pay 90 per cent of Coleen’s legal fees after she lost the infamous 2020 libel case.
Coleen Rooney looks delighted as she leaves her gym session in Alderley Edge (
MCPIX)
Coleen won another court battle against Rebekah (
MCPIX)
Meanwhile, Rooney claims she spent a total of £1,833,906.89 to go head-to-head with Rebekah. Jamie Carpenter KC, who is representing Rebekah, claimed the astronomical cost includes a bill for one of Coleen’s legal team to stay at the lavish Nobu Hotel. The bill, according to Rebekah’s lawyer, included “substantial dinner and drinks charges as well as mini bar charges.” Mr Carpenter added that Coleen’s team used an unfair approach when adding up all the costs incurred during the trial.
Mr Carpenter accused Coleen of “deliberately deceiving” the court by underestimating costs and the time taken to working on the case. Rebekah’s lawyer claims she should not be ordered to pay £117,500 plus VAT for “expert fees”, which was invoiced after the budget had reportedly been agreed in 2021.
Robin Dunne, for Mrs Rooney, said that “there has been no misconduct” and that it was “illogical to say that we misled anyone.” In a ruling on Tuesday, 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.
The WAG wrapped up in a black puffer coat (
MCPIX)
Coleen won another court battle against Rebekah (
MCPIX)
He said that while there was a “failure to be transparent”, it was not “sufficiently unreasonable or improper” to constitute misconduct. Coleen’s representative, Dunne, argued it was “outrageous” to accuse them of being dishonest and slammed Rebekah’s “deplorable conduct”, adding that the legal costs would have been lower if “she conducted this litigation appropriately.”
The latest 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 Mr Carpenter said was “disproportionate”. He continued that the earlier “understatement” of some costs was “improper and unreasonable” and “involved knowingly misleading Mrs Vardy and the court”.
Rebekah has lost another court showdown against Coleen (
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Coleen was all smiles (
MCPIX)
Mr Dunne said 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”. He said: “Mrs Vardy’s argument appears to arise from her frustration that her deplorable conduct in this litigation has led to the budgets becoming irrelevant.”
He continued: “Had Mrs Vardy conducted this matter in a reasonable fashion, Mrs Rooney would be confined to her budget and would have recovered no more absent good reason.” The hearing is dealing with points of principle before a line-by-line assessment of costs, which will take place at a later date.