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Coleen Rooney has disputed "misleading" claims made successful the High Court by Rebekah Vardy, who is challenging the "sheer magnitude" of costs she has to wage the erstwhile arsenic a effect of 2022's Wagatha libel trial.
Mrs Vardy mislaid that lawsuit aft a justice ruled it was "substantially true" she had leaked Mrs Rooney's backstage accusation to the press, and was ordered to wage 90% of Mrs Rooney's costs, which has reached much than £1.8m.
On Tuesday, Robin Dunne, representing Mrs Rooney successful the costs dispute, said claims made successful tribunal connected Monday astir edifice costs incurred by a lawyer representing her successful 2022 were "factually incorrect".
Mrs Vardy's KC Jamie Carpenter had said Mrs Rooney's full included costs for a lawyer staying "at the Nobu Hotel, incurring important meal and drinks charges arsenic good arsenic mini barroom charges".
But Mr Dunne, noting the charges been wide reported successful the media arsenic “evidence of the suspect wildly spending”, said they were “potentially defamatory” and steps would beryllium taken.
He added that a “modest” edifice had been booked for the lawyer, but connected the archetypal nighttime determination had been nary wi-fi oregon moving shower, truthful helium transferred to the Nobu aft Mrs Rooney’s cause said she could get reduced rates.
A country astatine Nobu ordinarily costs £650 but was charged astatine £295, which helium said was the aforesaid terms arsenic a country astatine a Premier Inn.
Addressing the assertion that £225 had been spent connected a nutrient and minibar tab, Mr Dunne said the minibar measure had really travel to £7 for 2 bottles of water, and that the lawyer had not eaten astatine the Nobu edifice during his stay.
Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker rejected 1 of Mrs Vardy’s claims that it was “unreasonable” for Mrs Rooney to usage Stewarts, a London-based instrumentality firm, and that she should person sought 1 adjacent to wherever she lived successful the northbound westbound of England.
Mr Gordon-Saker said: “This was ever going to beryllium a high-profile lawsuit and it attracted important property sum some present and elsewhere.
"Defamation is inactive a specializer country and astir of the firms who specialise successful defamation are based successful cardinal London.”
Regarding the size of the assertion and the value of the substance to the “reputations astatine stake”, helium said “instructing a solicitor successful cardinal London was a tenable choice”.
The justice besides rejected Mrs Vardy’s assertion that it had been unreasonable for Mrs Rooney to consult her barrister, David Sherborne, connected 30 occasions, astatine a outgo of astir £500,000.
Mr Gordon-Saker added that the behaviour of Mrs Vardy - successful peculiar destroying grounds - “adds to the complexity” and “clearly justifies rates successful excess of the guidelines” for the astir experienced lawyers.
But helium did accidental little experienced lawyers should person been charged astatine a little hourly rate.
Mrs Rooney, the woman of erstwhile England skipper Wayne Rooney, was nicknamed Wagatha Christie successful 2019 aft saying she had conducted a sting cognition to find retired who had leaked stories astir her from her backstage Instagram to the Sun newspaper. She concluded: "It's.... Rebekah Vardy's account."
That station led Mrs Vardy, the woman of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, to writer her for libel, and the proceedings attracted immense involvement erstwhile it reached tribunal 2 years ago.
Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that Mrs Rooney's accusation was "substantially true", saying it was apt Mrs Vardy "knew of, condoned and was actively engaged" successful the process of leaking stories astir Mrs Rooney to the Sun successful collaboration with Mrs Vardy's agent, Caroline Watt.
Mrs Rooney branded the proceedings "horrible" successful an interrogation with British Vogue past year.
She suggested she could not forgive Mrs Vardy for her libel claim, but said "the alleviation was everything" to win.
Mrs Vardy went connected to trademark the operation "Wagatha Christie" aft losing.
The lawsuit besides inspired the Olivier Award-nominated play, Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial.
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