Vardy’s legal bill tops £3m after she deleted evidence

REBEKAH VARDY must pay more than £1.5million in legal costs to Coleen Rooney after a judge ruled that she had deliberately destroyed evidence in the “Wagatha Christie” libel trial.

The wife of Leicester City player Jamie Vardy was yesterday ordered to make an interim payment of £800,000 within the next six weeks following her failed libel action.

She must also pay the legal costs of seven Sun journalists who were named in the case.

The total payment to Mrs Rooney, wife of the former England captain Wayne Rooney, is expected to exceed £1.5 million.

When Mrs Vardy’s own costs are taken into account, the total legal bill is likely to exceed £3million.

In an unusual move, the High Court judge, Mrs Justice Steyn, said Mrs Vardy must pay Mrs Rooney’s costs on an indemnity basis, which requires her to pay a larger proportion of the winning party’s costs than the standard 70-75 per cent.

Explaining her decision, the judge said: “What takes this case out of the norm… is that in my judgment following the trial I found that the claimant (and also her former agent) had deliberately deleted or destroyed evidence.

Such behaviour is outside the ordinary and reasonable conduct of proceedings. In all the circumstances, I consider it appropriate to order the claimant to pay costs on the indemnity basis.”

Mrs Vardy claimed in her evidence that she had accidentally deleted Whatsapp messages pertinent to the case.

Her former agent, Caroline Watt, claimed that she could not hand over

‘Rebekah Vardy must pay costs on an indemnity basis – the highest basis that the court could order’

her Whatsapp messages with Mrs Vardy because she had accidentally dropped her mobile phone into the North Sea.

Mrs Rooney’s legal team responded to the cost order. Paul Lunt, partner and head of litigation at Brabners, said: “The High Court has today decided that Rebekah Vardy must pay Coleen Rooney’s legal costs on an indemnity basis – the highest basis that the court could order.

“The reasoning given for this decision is that there was a finding that Rebekah Vardy had deliberately deleted or destroyed evidence.”