Wagatha Christie case: Rebekah Vardy loses lawsuit for defaming Coleen Rooney | News about Ant-Man & Art

Rebekah Vardy has lost the Wagatha Christie defamation trial against Coleen Rooney.

In his ruling, Judge Justice Steyn said that Rooney had succeeded in verifying that the nature of the defamation was “essentially the truth” – which meant that Vardy was held liable. disclose her personal information to the press.

In her conclusion, she said: “I have found out that Ms. Vardy participated in the disclosure to The Sun… Ms. Vardy was aware of and corrected this behavior, actively participating in it by directing Ms. Watt to her personal Instagram Account, sending her screenshots of Ms. Rooney’s posts, drawing attention to articles that may be of interest to the press, and answering additional questions reported by the press through Miss Watt.”

Caroline Watt is Vardy’s agent and friend, and has been implicated in the leak of private posts in court evidence. She did not give evidence during the hearing.

The court praised Rooney’s evidence as “honest and trustworthy”, but labeled Vardy’s evidence: “clearly inconsistent … evasive or unacceptable”.

Vardy sued Rooney after being publicly accused of leaking “false stories” to the media in 2019with a high-profile trial taking place at the High Court in London in May.

The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney has been dubbed “Wagatha Christie” after claiming that three fake stories posted on her personal Instagram page – without Vardy’s knowledge at the time were shared only with his Facebook account. her account – was turned over to The Sun.

Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking the stories and told the court she thought she might faint when she first heard about Rooney’s allegations – occurred while she was heavily pregnant.

Later in the trial, she became annoyed several times while answering questions in the witness box about the online trolling she and her family received as a result of the statements.

In her ruling, the judge referred to some of the “vile abuses” Vardy had received online – including a text message where someone said her child should be incinerated – she says there is no “justification or excuse… for such vitreous things.”

In the case, the court also heard details of messages she exchanged with her agent, Ms Watt, which appeared to show them discussing leaked stories about celebrities and bridges. Football players are different from the press.

Wayne Rooney is one of the witnesses giving evidence and supporting his wife in the courtroom every day. He told the court that he asked during Euro 2016 to talk to Jamie Vardy to ask his wife to “calm down” when public opinion arose around the tournament.

Text messages sent between Vardys during the tournament were also released, along with the fake Instagram posts that sparked the entire trial.

In a written submission to the court, Vardy’s attorney Hugh Tomlinson QC argued that although the incident was considered as trivial as the “WAG War”, it had a “very profound” impact on his life. his employer, resulting in “intense abuse and defamation”.

Mr Tomlinson said the 40-year-old had suffered “extremely suffering” over Rooney’s allegations and had “no choice but to take her to court “to establish his innocence and clear his innocence. his reputation”.

However, in the argument for Rooney, 36, lawyer David Sherborne said his client feels “absolute confidence” in the investigation she has conducted to find the source of the leaks. and that she “authenticated as thoroughly as many newsrooms”.

Read more:
Evidence of Coleen Rooney
Peter Andre speaks up
Rebekah Vardy denies leaked information

Presenting evidence, Rooney told the judge that she had tried “in vain” three times to avoid going to court.

Fake stories include Rooney traveling to Mexico for a baby “sex selection” procedure, planning to return to TV, and the flooded basement of her home.

“I’ve saved and screen-captured all the original stories showing clearly only one person watched them,” Rooney wrote in an internet post that quickly went viral.

“It’s ……… Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

What are the main legal issues in the case?

Defamation is a published statement that is defamatory – damaging to a person’s reputation.

Vardy said she had suffered “very serious damage to her reputation” as a result of Rooney’s allegations and has therefore taken the case to court in her own defense.

Rooney defended the statement on the basis that it was true and in the public interest for her to publish it. Under UK libel law, it was Rooney who had to prove her post was “fundamentally true”.

Since this is a civil case, not a criminal case, the criterion of proof is “based on a balance of probabilities”, or “most likely not”, not “exceeds”. reasonable doubt”.

The upper limit of damages in UK defamation acts is around £300,000, with the amount awarded depending on a number of factors – including the extent of the damage to reputation and popularity. blasphemy published. However, any damages are usually swallowed up in legal costs.

At the hearing in March 2022, it was revealed that Vardy had a cost budget of close to £900,000, while Rooney’s costs were estimated at around £400,000.

However, it is believed that the incident exceeded that budget.