Latest news with #TheRoyalCourtsofJustice
Daily Mirror
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Laurence Fox appeal LIVE: Actor arrives at court to appeal £180k ‘paedophile' row fine
Actor-turned-politician Laurence Fox is appearing at The Royal Courts of Justice today to appeal against libel judgements after being ordered to pay £180,000 in damages for calling two people 'paedophiles'. Mental health campaigner Simon Blake, Drag star Crystal, and actress Nicola Thorp began legal proceedings against actor-turned-activist on 1 April, 2021. The claimants allege Mr Fox defamed them on Twitter in October 2020. The comments have since been deleted. Mr Fox defended his comments, claiming the term "paedophiles" was a "meaningless and baseless" insult. He said: "Free speech. You throw meaningless and baseless insults at someone you get a meaningless and baseless insult in return." He added: "People can call me whatever they want." Fox is now appealing against libel judgments after he was ordered to pay £180,000 in damages to Simon Blake and Drag star Crystal. After losing the High Court case last year, Fox vowed to appeal the ruling and suggested £2 million had been spent on the legal battle. At the time he said: "Today a judge in the High Court has ruled I didn't suffer any serious harm through the allegation of racism made against me, which is strange because at the same time she also declined to define the meaning of the word racist." Of the appeal, he said: "That's another million quid we are going to have to spend to find out the meaning of a word every single person in this country knows." 11:35KEY EVENT Laurence Fox puffs on cigarette as he arrives at Royal Court of Justice Fox was pictured arriving at the Royal Court of Justice on Monday as he walked hand-in-hand with his wife Elizabeth Barker. The wannabe politician stood outside the courts to finish his cigarette as he told photographs that he would not turn his back away from the cameras to pose for a picture ahead of the appeal. Fox wore a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans as he arrived at the court. He also wore a pair of sunglasses and wore a pair of spectacles on his shirt. When asked by a photgrapher if he could turn around and look at the camera, Fox replied: "No! Why would I want to look at you guys?" 09:07Susan Knox Fox ordered to pay £180,000 in libel damages Fox was ordered to pay £90,000 in damages two of the people he referred to as "paedophiles" in October 2020. The actor-turned-politician lost a High Court libel case with former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal. In a post after the ruling, Mr Fox said he intended to appeal and today he is doing it at The Royal Courts of Justice. In January, the court ruled in favour of Mr Blake and former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Crystal, whose real name is Colin Seymour, and dismissed Mr Fox's counter-claims. Mrs Justice Collins Rice said in her written ruling: "By calling Mr Blake and Mr Seymour paedophiles, Mr Fox subjected them to a wholly undeserved public ordeal. "It was a gross, groundless and indefensible libel, with distressing and harmful real-world consequences for them. "They are entitled by law to an award of money, to compensate them for those damaging effects, and to ensure that they can put this matter behind them, vindicated and confident that no-one can sensibly doubt their blamelessness of that disgusting slur and that they were seriously wronged by it." The judge said there was "no element" of punishment for Mr Fox in the judgement, with the damages due "purely compensatory". She said Mr Fox could be found guilty of contempt of court if he repeated the allegations against Mr Blake and Mr Seymour. 09:02Susan Knox What did Fox say in his tweets to Simon Blake, Nicola Thorp, and drag artist Crystal? The fall out started in October 2020 when Mr Fox announced on the social media platform he was boycotting Sainsbury's supermarket over their support of Black History Month and former Coronation Street actress Thorpe, Stonewall Trustee Blake, and drag queen Crystal criticised his tweet and accused him of racism – Laurence then responded in three separate tweets calling each of the trio "peadophiles". After Fox shared his message about no longer shopping at the supermarket, Blake, CEO of Mental Health First Aid England and chair of Stonewall UK – who campaign for the equality of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people across Britain and abroad – retweeted his tweet and penned: "What a mess. What a racist t**t." In response, Fox tweeted alongside Blake's message: "Pretty rich coming from a paedophile." Simon then replied: "Hi @LozzaFox - please would you remove this tweet as you know it to be untrue. Thanks." And Laurence used the same slur towards Nicola and Crystal as they embarked on an online debate. Nicole also criticised the actor's post and wrote in one tweet: "Any company giving future employment to Laurence Fox, or providing him with a platform, does so with the complete knowledge that he is unequivocally, publicly and undeniably a racist. And they should probably re-read their own statements of 'solidarity' with the black community." Laurence re-posted the message and typed: "Hey @nicolathorp_ Any company giving future employment to Nicola Thorpe or providing her with a platform does so with the complete knowledge that she is unequivocally, publicly and undeniably a paedophile." Drag queen Crystal also replied to Fox, tweeting: "Imagine being this proud of being a racist. So cringe. Total snowflake behaviour." Fox, 42, responded to the star - real name Colin Munro - writing: "Says the paedophile", in a tweet that has since been deleted. 09:00Susan Knox Why is Laurence Fox in court today? Laurence Fox is appealling against libel judgments after calling two people 'paedophiles' in a bitter social media row. Fox is challenging two High Court rulings after he was ordered to pay a total of £180,000 in damages to two people he was found to have libelled when he referred to them as paedophiles on social media. Mental health campaigner Simon Blake, Drag star Crystal, and actress Nicola Thorp began legal proceedings against actor-turned-activist on 1 April, 2021. The claimants allege Mr Fox defamed them on Twitter in October 2020. The comments have since been deleted. Mr Fox defended his comments, claiming the term "paedophiles" was a "meaningless and baseless" insult. He said: "Free speech. You throw meaningless and baseless insults at someone you get a meaningless and baseless insult in return." He added: "People can call me whatever they want."
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rebekah Vardy speaks out after agreeing to pay £1.2million Wagatha court costs
Rebekah Vardy has taken to social media after it emerged that the TV star had agreed to pay almost £1.2million in legal fees after she attempted to sue Coleen Rooney Rebekah Vardy has broken her silence after she agreed to pay £1.2million in legal costs following the Wagatha Christie trial. The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star had attempted to sue Rooney following her now-infamous social media post in 2019. Coleen had taken to social media to reveal she had completed a sting operation after several of her private social media posts had been leaked to the media. The 39-year-old had narrowed down the accounts which had access to her private account, blocking several to discover who could have been responsible. In 2019, she took to Instagram and X to reveal: "It was...... Rebekah Vardy's account." False stories Coleen planted included eyeing up a stint on Strictly Come Dancing as well as travelling to Mexico for baby gender selection. Rebekah, 43, has strongly denied the allegations and claims that her account had been hacked. Jamie Vardy's wife later launched a defamation case against the Liverpudlian for her social media post, claiming it had defamed her. Earlier this week, a hearing a The Royal Courts of Justice heard that the star must pay almost £1.2million of Coleen's costs after she lost her defamation case. Now, Rebekah has taken to social media to reveal she's jetting out of the UK. In view of her 381,000 followers, she shared a snap of a Ryanair Boeing 737 sitting on the tarmac at an airport. Captioning her upload, Rebekah penned: "Love an early morning flight," along with a rather disgruntled emoji. It comes just hours after Coleen took to social media to explain that the ruling, which neither she nor Rebekah attended, had been a "relief" for her. The WAG penned: "The ruling yesterday in my favour finally brings this claim to an end, it's a relief and brings closure for my family and I." Coleen continued: "Throughout this long process, I am grateful that judgements have consistently gone my way. However, as I have always maintained, this claim did not need to be made or run for as long as it did. The time and money should have been put to better use. "I want to thank my legal representatives, management, friends and family for their guidance and constant support. Thanks also to the public and many well-wishers who have been in touch with such kind messages. This episode is not something that I ever wanted in my life. However, I am thankful for the way my family and team have dealt with it. We look forward to moving on with our lives." A specialist costs court has previously been told that Coleen, the wife of former England striker Wayne, ran up a legal bill totalling more than £1.8 million after she successfully defended Vardy's High Court claim in 2022. In written submissions for a hearing on Tuesday, Mrs Vardy's barrister, Juliet Wells, said that Mrs Rooney's total legal bill of £1,833,906.89 "has now been settled at £1,190,000, being c.£1,125,000 plus interest of c.£65.000". Ms Wells continued that Mrs Rooney is now claiming "assessment costs" of more than £300,000, which she described as "grossly disproportionate" and should be capped at "no more than £100,000". The full amount of the assessment costs will be determined at the hearing before Costs Judge Mark Whalan, who said he was "pleased" that the two sides had come to a "commercial accommodation". At a preliminary High Court hearing on November 19, 2020, Mr Justice Warby found that Coleen had used defamatory words about Rebekah. On July 29, 2022, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in favour of Coleen and said that Vardy had passed information about Coleen to the media. Rebekah had initially faced legal costs of approximately £3 million and had been ordered to pay 90 percent of Coleen's costs. In October last year, Rebekah's barristers claimed to a judge in a hearing that Coleen and her legal representatives had committed "serious misconduct" by understating some of her costs in order to "attack the other party's costs." A judge ruled that no misconduct had been committed. Rebekah later decided to appeal the decision, with Coleen's legal team opposing the appeal and describing it as "misconceived." In April, Mr Justice Cavanagh dismissed the appeal. He said: "The appeal must fail on the basis that the judge was entitled to reach the conclusion that he came to."
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rebekah Vardy 'eyes up move to US and huge Netflix show' after Coleen Rooney blow
WAG Rebekah Vardy could be ready to put her ongoing drama with Coleen Rooney to bed once and for all as she sets her sights on a move to the US with husband Jamie Rebekah Vardy and her footballer husband Jamie could soon be calling the US their home, according to reports. The WAG has been hit with a huge blow as her feud with Coleen Rooney rumbles on. Today, she was ordered to pay almost £1.2million of Coleen's legal costs following their high-profile 'Wagatha Christie' trial. The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star had attempted to sue Coleen following her now infamous social media post in 2019. She had accused Rebekah over leaking stories to the press following her own sting operation. Rebekah later launched a defamation case against the wife of footballer Wayne Rooney, Coleen, for her social media post which she claimed had defamed her. Now, a hearing at The Royal Courts of Justice heard that Rebekah must pay almost £1.2million. It seems like Rebekah and Jamie might be after a fresh start as the footballer also recently announced he was leaving Leicester City. Their move across the pond could also see Rebekah secure a huge TV deal with Netflix. She has reportedly been keen to take part in hit show Selling Sunset as she hunts for her dream home in the States. "The US is the most likely next move for the Vardys and is partly because Becky has had interest in TV work there," a source told The Sun. "She was in talks with the makers of Selling Sunset earlier this year. They wanted her to appear as the potential buyer of a luxury home there." They added the show stalled due to the wildfires in LA, yet it could still go ahead. The source continued: "If it does, the show is a great 'shop window' for stars in the US to go on to other things." However, they stressed any future move would depend on what offers Jamie gets as he hunts for a new football club. The 38-year-old announced he would be leaving Leicester at the end of the season 13 years after signing for the club. It has been said the sportsman is being eyed up by US teams including D.C. United. Rebekah and Coleen didn't attend their hearing today, as the Vardy's next move could also boil down to finances. A specialist costs court was told that Rebekah had agreed to pay £1,190,000 of Coleen's legal bill, and that Coleen was asking for a further £315,000 in 'assessment costs'. Costs Judge Mark Whalan said that it was 'reasonable and proportionate' for Rebekah to pay £212,266.20 of Coleen's assessment costs, inclusive of VAT but before interest, on top of the £1.19m settlement, totalling at least £1,402,266.20. The judge said that he was 'generally happy' that the outcome was a 'commercially satisfactory conclusion for both sides', but that there had been 'extraordinary expenditure of costs' by the parties. He said: 'I do mean it when I say that I hope that this is the end of a long and unhappy road.' The judge also stated that the two 'can both part to put this matter behind them'.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Wagatha row's wildest moments as Rebekah Vardy agrees to pay £1.2m of Coleen Rooney's legal fees
The Wagatha Christie case kicked off in 2019 when Coleen Rooney publicly announced Rebekah Vardy's account as her leak, and now Vardy has been ordered to cough up a huge amount to her fellow WAG The Wagatha Christie scandal will go down as one of the most infamous pop culture moments in living memory, and it seems like it's finally come to an end. Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy have been at loggerheads for years, with things getting more and more vicious between them. The drama started in 2019, when I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! runner up Coleen publicly accused Rebekah of leaking stories about her and husband Wayne Rooney to the press for money. Coleen revealed with all of her Instagram fans that she'd had a suspicion about who was selling the tales, and so blocked everyone from viewing her Stories apart from just one person. Sure enough, those stories soon enough ended up in the headlines. Coleen concluded her sleuthing revelation: "I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It's....... Rebekah Vardy's account." After discovering the leak, Rebekah claimed innocence and took Coleen to court in a bid to sue her for defamation over the public claim. Now, years later, a hearing at The Royal Courts of Justice ruled that Rebekah must pay a staggering £1.2million of Coleen's legal costs after a long and passionate battle, after Rebekah's barrister agreed that Coleen's total legal bill of £1,833,906.89 could be slightly lessened, and "has now been settled at £1,190,000, being £1,125,000 plus interest of £65.000." Neither Coleen nor Rebekah attended the remote hearing today, but that's not to say they haven't exchanged plenty of barbs over the six-year fight. Here are some of the most outlandish moments of the Wagatha Christie debacle to this date... Rebekah's alternative theory Rebekah, the wife of Leicester City player Jamie Vardy, did not exactly take kindly to Coleen's accusations, which she vehemently denied - even suggesting that her account had been hacked. In a post finished off with a broken heart emoji, Rebekah expressed her dismay at the allegations, hitting back: 'If you thought this was happening you could have told me & I could have changed my passwords to see if it stopped. "Over the years various people have had access to my insta & just this week I found I was following people I didn't know and have never followed myself. I'm not being funny but I don't need the money, what would I gain from selling stories on you?" A seething defamation suit was filed in the summer of 2020, with Rebekah maintaining her innocence. Following the full trial in July 2022, it was ruled that Coleen's claims were 'substantially true', with Rebekah ordered to cough up 90 per cent of Coleen's legal bill. Wayne's fascination with case Coleen's hubby Wayne was reportedly fascinated by the ins and outs of his wife's court case - so much so that he even considered swapping the football pitch for law school. In the Disney Plus documentary Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Coleen's lawyer Jamie Hurworth offers an interesting insight into Wayne's input behind the scenes, sharing: "Once the day was finished we would have a little debrief with Wayne and Coleen. "I had not dealt with Wayne that much before the trial. But he was just fascinated by the whole thing. Wayne started suggesting, like, legal argument that we should start running." Coleen's lead lawyer Paul Lunt then chipped in: "I'm not saying he is a modern day Columbo but certainly had we have given him a gown and a wig he was bang up for asking a few questions." Wayne himself admitted: "Yeah, it was interesting because I do like crime documentaries and in particular the different techniques the two barristers used." Coleen on the other hand was less impressed when Wayne contributed to all-important debrief meetings, laughing: "I just said 'Wayne shut up and let David or Paul speak.' He was then going to apply for law school and he had all these plans. But them little moments carried us through." Wayne opened up again about his interest in the law on the Stick to Football podcast, revealing: "When Coleen had the court case with Rebekah Vardy, I was there with the barrister and the lawyers, and I was saying to the barrister, 'You need to ask this question,'" He continued: "I did apply – it was to Nottingham University - I applied to go in and try and study, but then I did go away. I want to do it to get one of those wigs on!" Caffè Nero snub In an interview with The Sun, Rebekah revealed that she'd previously tried to make peace with Coleen by inviting her for a coffee at Caffè Nero, and that the offer still stood. She said: "Let bygones be bygones. You can't hold grudges forever. Two years ago, I suggested we meet for a coffee at Caffè Nero — and that offer still stands. Perhaps now it might need to be over a lot of wine, though. "But if people really want us to meet up before that, then ITV should get me in that jungle as a special guest. What are they scared of? Confrontation? But isn't that what the show's all about? It's about viewing figures." Health woes In her candid doc, Liverpudlian Coleen revealed that the legal war had taken its toll on her physical and mental health. Coleen said: "It caused anxiety and there were lots of tears. I have reactive arthritis. I've had it previously but this situation brought it on a lot more." According to the NHS, reactive arthritis causes redness and swelling (inflammation) to different joints, often affecting a person's knees, feet, toes, hips and ankles. This illness often develops after suffering from an infection or food poisoning and will usually clear up within a few months. Remembering the painful time, Coleen recalled: "It hit home just how low I was at that time. My emotions really came out and that made the interview process quite intense, but then it was also a good chance to reflect. I stuck to my guns from beginning to end. My story never changed from day one, and I was telling the truth." Coleen also discussed how her ordeal had caused her to withdraw, explaining: "It stripped me of my character, and I didn't want to socialise with people. I was completely in my own world. It was not a nice place to be." Jamie and Wayne tension Back in 2022, the court heard how Wayne was told by ex-England manager Roy Hodgson and then assistant manager Gary Neville to have a chat with striker Jamie over 'issues regarding his wife'. Taking to the witness box, Wayne revealed: "They asked me, as captain, would I be able to speak to Mr Vardy on issues regarding his wife and I think we all knew that it was an awkward subject. I'd need to speak to Mr Vardy and ask him to speak to his wife and ask him to say to ask his wife to calm down." Clarifying that he 'carried out that instruction', Wayne added: 'It was an awkward situation for me, and I'm sure it was an awkward situation for Mr Vardy, but I felt it was in the best interests of the team." Vasectomy reveal In her Disney+ series, Coleen explained how Wayne's secret vasectomy played a key role in her getting to the bottom of who was leaking stories. Discussing how she came up with the idea to hide all but from Rebekah's account from her Stories came about, Coleen said: "After the birth of every one of my kids, the press are always interested in whether I was ever going to have another baby. "The big question is always would you like a girl. I always thought I would have a few kids, maybe three at the most and then number four came along and we knew our family was complete. Me and Wayne talked about him having a vasectomy. He said after this baby 'that's it we are not having anymore'. And Wayne went in and got the snip, so I knew for sure we would not be having anymore children." She added: "I had heard about this procedure where you could choose the gender of your baby but it is something I have never considered doing. I was going to Mexico with the kids for the Easter holidays. So I came up with the idea of doing a story about going to Mexico to find out some information about Gender selection, for me to have a girl. I thought about what information I was going to use. I wanted to do a story with no truth whatsoever." Sex life swipe During an interview with The Sun, Rebekah took a savage swipe at Coleen's sex life when discussing what her rival could be eating during her time in the jungle. Not holding back, Rebekah admitted she was looking forward to watching Coleen chow down on 'penis. Or humble pie'. Then, when asked whether or not a camel testicle could be the worst thing Coleen has ever had in her mouth, Rebekah saucily replied: "I don't know. You have to look at her husband for that one." Jealousy accusations In the same interview, Rebekah, who appeared in I'm A Celeb back in 2017, claimed that Coleen had 'always wanted' her life. She said: "We'll be watching avidly. Everyone seems to think I have this massive problem with Coleen going into the jungle. But do you know what? If you want to fan the fire, the flames are going to get higher. I wasn't going to carry on talking about this, I had no intention of talking about it, but she clearly can't let it go." "I mean, we've done a book, we've done a documentary, we're going into the jungle. What's next - Dancing On Ice? She's following in my footsteps. I think she always wanted my life." Mayah Riaz, of Mayah Media, previously told the Mirror:"Coleen joining the same show could be perceived as a subtle power move, a reminder that she's still in the spotlight and can command attention on her terms. While I doubt the primary goal is to intimidate Rebekah, the symbolism is clear. "She's stepping into a space where Rebekah had a controversial stint and is doing so at a time when her own public image is riding high. This move might make Rebekah feel like Coleen is not only winning in the courtroom but also owning the narrative within the entertainment world."
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Rebekah Vardy agrees to pay nearly £1.2million of Coleen Rooney's legal costs
Rebekah Vardy has been ordered to pay almost £1.2million of Coleen Rooney 's legal costs following their Wagatha Christie case. The former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star had attempted to sue Rooney following her now infamous social media post in 2019. Coleen, the wife of former footballer Wayne took to social media to reveal that she had secretly been plotting a sting operation after a string of stories shared on her private social media had been leaked to the media. The Liverpudlian narrowed down accounts with access to her posts in order to discover which account was leaking the information. In 2019, she took to social media to reveal: "It was..... Rebekah Vardy's account," after blocking her followers from seeing her Instagram Stories, which included a fake story that she was heading to Mexico for gender selection, as well as eyeing up a stint on Strictly Come Dancing. Rebekah, 43, has strongly denied the allegations and implying that her Instagram account had been hacked. Rebekah later launched a defamation case against Rooney for her social media post which she claimed had defamed her. Now, a hearing at The Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday heard that Rebekah must pay almost £1.2million. A specialist costs court has previously been told that Mrs Rooney, the wife of former England striker Wayne Rooney, ran up a legal bill totalling more than £1.8 million after she successfully defended Mrs Vardy's High Court claim in 2022. In written submissions for a hearing on Tuesday, Mrs Vardy's barrister, Juliet Wells, said that Mrs Rooney's total legal bill of £1,833,906.89 'has now been settled at £1,190,000, being c.£1,125,000 plus interest of c.£65.000'. Ms Wells continued that Mrs Rooney is now claiming 'assessment costs' of more than £300,000, which she described as 'grossly disproportionate' and should be capped at 'no more than £100,000'. The full amount of the assessment costs will be determined at the hearing before Costs Judge Mark Whalan, who said he was 'pleased' that the two sides had come to a 'commercial accommodation'. Neither Mrs Vardy nor Mrs Rooney attended the remote hearing. At a preliminary High Court hearing on November 19, 2020, Mr Justice Warby found that Coleen had used defamatory words about Rebekah. On July 29, 2022, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in favour of Coleen and said that Vardy had passed information about Coleen to the media. Rebekah had initially faced legal costs of approximately £3 million and had been ordered to pay 90 percent of Coleen's costs. In October last year, Rebekah's barristers claimed to a judge in a hearing that Coleen and her legal representatives had committed "serious misconduct" by understating some of her costs in order to "attack the other party's costs." A judge ruled that no misconduct had been committed. Rebekah later decided to appeal the decision, with Coleen's legal team opposing the appeal and describing it as "misconceived." In April, Mr Justice Cavanagh dismissed the appeal. He said: "The appeal must fail on the basis that the judge was entitled to reach the conclusion that he came to." In written submissions filed in April by Rebekah's representative, Jamie Carpenter KC, claimed that Coleen had "very substantially understated" her legal costs by around 40 per cent in her budget, which is known as "precedent H," in 2021. Carpenter KC said: "At all times throughout the costs budgeting process, Mrs Rooney concealed from Mrs Vardy and the court that the incurred costs in her precedents H were much less than her true incurred costs." He went on to add: "Although the costs judge was critical of Mrs Rooney's lawyers for their lack of transparency, he held 'on balance' and 'only just' that there was no misconduct. It is respectfully submitted that he was wrong to do so." Carpenter added that a "proportionate sanction" for the alleged misconduct would be to limit the amount of Coleen's legal costs up to August 2021, to be paid by Rebekah to £220,955.07. Despite Rebekah strongly denying leaking any information from Coleen's private Instagram to the press, a ruling by Mrs Justice Steyn in July 2022 ruled Coleen's accusations to be "substantially true." Rebekah was then ordered to pay 90 per cent of Coleen's legal costs, including a payment of £800,000. A hearing in October last year heard that Coleen's legal bill totalled £1,833,906.89 – which was said to be three times the "agreed costs budget of £540,779.07. Rebekah's legal representative argued that this was "disproportionate." Senior Costs Judge, Andrew Gordon-Saker found "on balance and, I have to say, only just" that Coleen's legal team hadn't committed any wrongdoing and it would not be an "appropriate case" to reduce the fees that Rebekah has to pay. He said that there was a "failure to be transparent" but it was not "sufficiently unreasonable or improper" to constitute misconduct.
