No misconduct by Coleen Rooney's lawyers in 'Wagatha Christie' case, says judge

Coleen Rooney's lawyers did not commit misconduct or knowingly mislead over their legal costs for the "Wagatha Christie" case, a judge has ruled.

Barristers have been arguing over how much Rebekah Vardy should pay towards Mrs Rooney's costs after she lost their 2022 libel battle.

Mrs Vardy's team claimed the other side had initially "deliberately understated" their bill so the apparent gap could be used to attack her costs.

They said it was "serious misconduct" that justified a reduction in the amount she should pay.

Mrs Rooney's lawyers denied the allegation, and on Tuesday a judge agreed.

Senior costs judge Andrew Gordon-Saker said that "on balance and, I have to say, only just", Mrs Rooney's team did not commit wrongdoing, and it was "not an appropriate case" to reduce Mrs Vardy's eventual bill.

He identified a "failure to be transparent" but it was not "sufficiently unreasonable or improper" to be classed as misconduct.

The details of the "Wagatha Christie" case made headlines in 2022 after Mrs Rooney - the wife of ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney - claimed stories about her private life were being leaked to the press via the social media account of Mrs Vardy - the wife of Leicester player Jamie Vardy.

Mrs Rooney launched an investigation to find the mole, posting fake stories on her private Instagram and limiting them so only Mrs Vardy's account could see them.

After the fake stories appeared in the tabloid press, Mrs Rooney shared her findings on social media, finishing with the line: "It's... Rebekah Vardy's account".

Mrs Vardy sued Mrs Rooney for libel. But a judge decided Mrs Rooney's claims were "substantially true" and ordered Mrs Vardy to pay 90% of her costs in defending herself.

The starting point in such cases is the loser pays the other side's reasonable costs.

However, the judge has the discretion to decide the amount based on multiple factors, including the parties' conduct.

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The pair did not attend the latest hearings in London.

Mrs Vardy's barrister, Jamie Carpenter KC, argued Mrs Rooney's claimed bill of £1,833,906.89 was "disproportionate" and more than three times her agreed budget of nearly £541,000.

He continued that the earlier "understatement" of some costs was "improper and unreasonable" and "involved knowingly misleading Mrs Vardy and the court".

In written submissions on Monday, he told the court some of Mrs Rooney's costs were "extraordinary" and included a five-star hotel for a lawyer - with "substantial dinner and drinks charges as well as mini bar charges".

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Mrs Rooney's barrister, Robin Dunne, said the idea Mrs Vardy's bill should be reduced was "misconceived" and their initial budget was "not designed to be an accurate or binding representation" of all her costs.

The hearing, which ends on Wednesday, is dealing with points of principle and a line-by-line assessment of costs will take place at a later date.