Vardy ordered to pay Rooney extra £100k in Wagatha costs battle

Legal wrangling continues over the cost of the Wagatha Christie case as ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent explains

Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay Coleen Rooney a further £100,000 following their high-profile Wagatha Christie libel battle ahead of the full amount owed being decided.

Barristers for the two have appeared in court in a dispute over legal costs after Mrs Vardy lost her High Court claim against Mrs Rooney in 2022.

It followed Mrs Rooney accusing Mrs Vardy of leaking her private information to the press on social media, with Wednesday marking five years since the viral social media post at the heart of the dispute.

Mrs Vardy was later ordered to pay 90% of Mrs Rooney’s fees, with an initial payment of £800,000.

But at the end of the hearing, which began on Monday, senior costs judge Andrew Gordon-Saker ordered Mrs Vardy to pay a further £100,000 to Mrs Rooney within 21 days.

He said: “I think there is some scope for a further payment on account so the defendant (Mrs Rooney) is not kept out of her costs, and I think that should be no more than £100,000.”

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The hearing, which neither woman attended, dealt with several preliminary issues before a full “line-by-line” assessment of costs takes place at a later date, which will decide the overall amount of money to be paid.

Judge Gordon-Saker said this could take place in early 2025, but added: “The parties need to get on with this and put it behind them.”

He said: “Realistically, it (the line-by-line assessment) is probably going to be next year, hopefully early next year.”

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