A settlement has been reached in the ‘long and unhappy’ libel case brought and lost by footballer’s wife Rebekah Vardy against Coleen Rooney.
In a costs hearing before costs judge Whalan yesterday, the court heard that Rooney’s assessment costs have been settled at £1,190,000 including VAT and interest. Rooney’s total legal bill was £1,833,906.89. Costs for the summary assessment of Rooney’s assessment costs totalled more than £212,000 following the half-day hearing.
Speaking of Rooney’s solicitor Paul Lunt’s hourly rate, Juliet Wells, for Vardy, argued that the £345 an hour rate, as agreed by a senior costs judge in regard to the substantive hearing, was too high and a ‘reduction would be appropriate’ to £280 an hour to fall within the guideline hourly rates.
Costs judge Whalan allowed the hourly rate claimed for Lunt and other solicitors, adding that the case was ‘not a guideline hourly rates case’.
The judge reduced the hours claimed by Rooney’s team. He said it was ‘not reasonable at all for over 100 hours’ to be claimed for attendance on others. He allowed 30 hours for the grade B solicitor, 15 for the grade C and 25 for the grade D.
More than 800 hours were claimed on work on documents. With the best will in the world [that is] a little bit eyebrow-raising,’ the judge said.
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Acknowledging ‘a degree of factual complexity’ to the case and matters ‘rehearsed under the spotlight’ due to the media attention meant ‘both sides apply a degree of vigour’, he allowed 421.1 hours against the 813.4 hours claimed. He said: ‘The times claimed are unreasonably high and disproportionate.’
Following a short adjournment, Robin Dunne, for Rooney, told the court the parties had been able to agree to £212,266.20 for the costs of assessment.
Costs judge Whalan pointed out Rooney had made Vardy an offer of ‘£1,150,000…exclusive of interest’ which was not accepted and ‘six months later after an enormous amount of time, expenditure and grief’, negotiations reached a figure of £1,125,000 meaning Vardy ‘improved her position by £25,000 for six months’, he said.
‘Really you’re there, or thereabouts, in November and here we are, tides turn, and seasons change but [there is] no great difference in the money frankly,' the judge said. 'One thing can be said about today, [I am] genuinely happy this is a satisfactory commercial conclusion for both sides at the end of a long winding and unhappy path for both of them.’
After thanking counsel and parties for their assistance, he added: ‘I do mean it when I say I hope this is the end of a long and unhappy road and the next time we meet will be in a different case in different circumstances.'
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