Rebekah Vardy’s lawyer ‘worked Christmas Day’ on Wagatha Christie trial as case returns to court

Rebekah Vardy’s lead lawyer was working on the Wagatha Christie trial on Christmas Day, it has emerged. The revelation comes as Coleen Rooney’s lawyers seek to challenge an alleged “unreasonable” statutory law in the high-profile case.

Hugh Tomlinson KC and the entire Vardy legal team’s commitment to the trial was heard on the first day of hearings at the High Court – two years on from the infamous trial which saw Coleen’s claims that Leicester City striker Jamie’s wife Rebekah disclosed it. personal information to The Sun – to be “substantially true”. Neither Coleen nor Rebekah appeared in person at the hearing looking at some of Ms Vardy’s pre-trial costs which Ms Rooney is expected to pay.

An order made in 2022 ruled that Ms Vardy should pay 90% of Ms Rooney’s costs, with an initial £800,000 then ordered to be paid. However, her legal team are contesting parts of a bill of around £325,000, of which 20% will have to be paid by Ms Rooney.

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At the specialist costs hearing, Robin Dunne, for Ms Rooney, argued that Rebekah’s legal team had racked up “unreasonable and disproportionate” costs ahead of the trial. Some of the costs to be paid relate to offers made at hearings for additional documents and information from both sides of the complaint. The costs also include Ms Rooney’s request to have legal action against Ms Vardy’s former agent heard alongside the defamation claim.

Ms Rooney’s lawyers previously claimed Ms Vardy leaked information to The Sun either directly or through her agent Caroline Watt “acting on her instructions or with her knowing approval”. Rebekah has always denied that she is the source of the leak, Coleen’s offer being rejected. Ms Watt’s £65,000 legal bill was previously paid by Ms Rooney.

Mr Dunne said they were “significant applications”, adding that “we fully accept that work is needed”. However, he said Ms Vardy’s bill for around eight weeks’ work was “disproportionate”.

Ms Vardy’s lawyers oppose the cost reduction offer. Jamie Carpenter KC, for Ms Vardy, said there was “hardly a day” when her solicitors were not working at the time. He said Rebekah’s lead lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson KC, was deeply involved in the project – even when he was off duty.

Mr Carpenter said Mr Tomlinson “worked on the case on Christmas Day while on holiday”. He added that many of Ms Vardy’s lawyers worked on Boxing Day and bank holidays around Christmas to focus on the case.

He said: “No one paid for the construction. This was a job that absolutely had to be done, and it was a huge amount of work.”

The case, which is before Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker, is due to conclude today (Wednesday 29 May). Ms Rooney’s costs will be considered at a separate hearing in October.

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