Wagatha Christie: £1.5 million court costs payment for Rebekah Vardy
Vardy will have to pay towards Coleen Rooney's court costs
Rebekah Vardy will have to pay £1.5 million towards Coleen Rooney’s legal costs following their “Wagatha Christie” High Court libel battle.
An order made public today shows the judge ruled that Mrs Vardy should pay 90% of Mrs Rooney's costs
Mrs Rooney incurred total costs of more than £2 million, but £350,000 of those had already been racked up before the trial in May, so those were removed to produce a final figure of £1,667,860.
Mrs Vardy was ordered to pay £800,000 of the costs bill by 4pm on November 15.
She will also have to pay costs incurred by seven journalists who were potential witnesses but did not give evidence – apart from a portion of their costs which Mrs Rooney has already been ordered to pay.
Mrs Vardy, 40, lost her high-profile libel claim against Mrs Rooney, 36, in July when Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that Mrs Rooney’s viral social media post accusing Mrs Vardy of leaking her private information to the press was “substantially true”.
The judge ruled on various issues relating to Mrs Rooney’s costs after receiving written legal arguments on behalf of both women.
The total amount of Mrs Vardy’s legal costs is not known but is expected to be of a similar level to those incurred by Mrs Rooney.