Coleen Rooney has been accused of intentionally misleading the court about her legal bills (Image: Getty)
has been accused of intentionally misleading the court about her staggering £1.8 million legal bill, according to sensational new claims from legal team.
The allegations came to light during the latest chapter of the bitter Wagatha Christie saga, where the two WAGs are once again locked in a heated courtroom battle over who should foot the massive costs from their high-profile legal fight.
Rebekah, 42, was ordered to cover 90 per cent of Coleen’s legal costs after losing the highly publicized libel trial. Coleen, 38, spent an eye-watering £1,833,906.89 to defend herself in court. However, lawyers for Rebekah are now challenging the fairness of that bill, arguing it includes unnecessary and inflated charges.
As the rival camps faced off at the High Court today, Jamie Carpenter KC, representing Rebekah, made several shocking claims. He pointed out that Coleen’s legal team racked up costs for stays at the luxurious five-star Nobu Hotel, alongside “substantial” charges for dinners, drinks, and even items from the mini bar.
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The two WAGs are once again locked in a heated courtroom battle (Image: Getty)
Carpenter accused Coleen’s team of inflating the costs by employing a “kitchen sink approach,” claiming the bill includes over £120,000 in charges that Rooney had no right to demand.
He even suggested Coleen “deliberately deceived” the court by underestimating the time and costs spent on the case.
Rebekah’s team is also challenging an additional £117,500 plus VAT in “expert fees” which were invoiced after a cost budget was already agreed upon in August 2021. Carpenter is calling for the total sum to be reduced to £367,732.
Coleen’s legal representative, Robin Dunne, hit back at these accusations, calling them “frankly outrageous” and asserting that there was no dishonesty involved. However, Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker struck a more neutral tone, remarking: “You can’t stand there throwing mud about them incurring costs if you’re not going to be upfront about your own. Even if you’ve decided you’re not going to seek to recover it, you’ve still incurred it.”
Today’s developments are the latest in the ongoing fallout from the infamous Wagatha Christie trial, which concluded in 2022 with Coleen winning the libel case.
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Rebekah had originally sued Coleen for defamation after being publicly accused of leaking stories about Rooney’s private life to the press.
In October 2019, Coleen took to social media and revealed how she had carefully set up a trap by posting false stories on her private account to see if they would end up in the tabloids. After conducting her own investigation, she dramatically announced: “It’s . . . Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
Rebekah denied the allegations and sued for libel, claiming the accusations had destroyed her reputation. However, her case ultimately collapsed, with Mrs Justice Steyn ruling that Rebekah “knew of, condoned and was actively engaged” in the media leaks through her agent Caroline Watts. The judge found Rebekah’s evidence to be “manifestly inconsistent” and praised Coleen as a “honest and reliable” witness.
The hearing over costs continues, with the final ruling expected on Wednesday.