Latest news with #legalbattle
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rebekah Vardy finally agrees to pay Coleen Rooney huge seven-figure sum after losing Wagatha Christie courtroom showdown
Rebekah Vardy will pay Coleen Rooney a huge seven-figure sum after she lost their epic Wagatha Christie courtroom showdown. The WAG, 42, agreed to pay £1,190,000 of Mrs Rooney's legal bill, plus was ordered to pay a further £212,266 in assessment courts, after sensationally losing their high-profile libel case. This takes the total Mrs Vardy must pay to at least £1,402,266.20. Mrs Rooney ran up a legal bill of more than £1.8 million while successfully defending herself against Mrs Vardy's High Court claim in 2022. After losing their High Court showdown, Mrs Vardy was ordered to pay 90 percent of Mrs Rooney's legal costs. In written submissions to a specialist costs court hearing on Tuesday, Mrs Vardy's barrister, Juliet Wells, said Mrs Rooney's total legal bill of £1,833,906.89 'has now been settled at £1,190,000, being [approximately] £1,125,000 plus interest of [approximately] £65,000'. The court heard that while Mrs Rooney was also asking for a further £315,000 in 'assessment costs', Costs Judge Mark Whalan ordered Mrs Vardy to pay £212,266.20 of Mrs Rooney's assessment costs, inclusive of VAT but before interest, on top of the £1.19 million settlement. Mrs Rooney must also pay Mrs Vardy a total of £135,097.50 in costs under the terms of court orders from 2024, which will be set off against what Mrs Vardy must pay. While Mrs Wells previously called for the 'grossly disproportionate' assessment costs to be capped at 'no more than £100,000', Judge Whalan said the amount awarded was 'reasonable and proportionate'. He added that while there had been 'extraordinary expenditure of costs' on both sides, he was 'generally happy' the outcome was 'commercially satisfactory conclusion' for the pair. 'I do mean it when I say that I hope that this is the end of a long and unhappy road,' he added. Rebekah, 42, was ordered to pay 90 percent of Coleen's (pictured) legal bills after she sensationally lost the libel case which accused her of leaking stories about Wayne Rooney 's wife to the press Mrs Vardy's lawyer previously argued Mrs Rooney's team had used a 'kitchen sink' approach when calculating the total and included 'over £120,000 of costs to which Mrs Rooney has no entitlement'. It was also claimed the bill included costs for one of the WAG's team to stay at Nobu - a five star luxury hotel - and 'substantial dinner and drinks charges as well as mini bar charges'. The lawyer said Coleen's £1,833,906.89 legal bill was over three times her 'agreed costs budget of £540,779.07'. But Coleen's lawyer, Robin Dunne, had argued it was 'frankly outrageous' to accuse them of dishonesty. Mrs Vardy unsuccessfully sued the I'm A Celeb star in the High Court in 2022 after she was publicly accused of leaking stories about her to the press. The catalyst for the famous Wagatha Christie case was a dramatic open letter written by Mrs Rooney and posted on social media in October 2019 in which she revealed she had turned detective to figure out who had been leaking the stories to the press. Mrs Rooney publicly claimed Mrs Vardy's account was the source behind three newspaper stories featuring fake details she had posted on her private Instagram profile - her travelling to Mexico for a 'gender selection' procedure, her planning to return to TV and the basement flooding at her home. Penning that she had a 'suspicion' of who it could be, Mrs Rooney told her millions of followers that 'to try and prove this' she 'came up with an idea'. 'I blocked everyone from viewing my Instagram stories except ONE account,' she wrote. The post that started it all: Mrs Rooney accused Mrs Vardy's social media account of leaking stories For the next five months, she uploaded 'a series of false stories' to see if 'they made their way' into the press. 'And you know what, they did!' she penned 'The story about gender selection in Mexico, the story about returning to TV and then the latest story about the basement flooding in my new house.' She continued to build suspense, writing: 'It's been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all, especially when the stories have been leaked, however I had to. Now I know for certain which account/individual it's come from. 'I have saved and screenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person had viewed them.' And then, she delivered her final iconic line: 'It's.......... Rebekah Vardy's account.' What followed was a tearful appearance from Rebekah on ITV's Loose Women in February 2020 in which claimed the stress over the dispute had caused her to have anxiety attacks so severe she 'ended up in hospital three times'. The emotional display was met by Coleen with a statement to say she did not want to 'engage in further public debate' on the matter. Four months later, in June 2020, Rebekah began legal proceedings against Coleen for libel with her lawyers alleging she had 'suffered extreme distress, hurt, anxiety and embarrassment as a result of the publication of the post and the events which followed'. At the first preliminary hearing in London's High Court in November the same year, Mr Justice Warby ruled that Coleen's famous letter 'clearly identified' Rebekah as being 'guilty of the serious and consistent breach of trust'. He concluded the 'natural and ordinary' meaning of the posts was that Rebekah had 'regularly and frequently abused her status as a trusted follower of Mrs Rooney's personal Instagram account' by secretly informing the press of Coleen's 'private posts and stories'. When the case returned to the courts in February 2022, a series of explosive messages between Rebekah and her agent Caroline Watt were revealed with Coleen's lawyers alleging they were about her. Rebekah denied that one message calling someone a 'nasty b****' was in reference to Coleen. When asked by defence lawyers to present Ms Watt's phone so they could further investigate the WhatsApp messages, they were told it had fallen into the North Sea when Ms Watt was on a boat during a holiday. Coleen was denied permission to bring a High Court claim against Ms Watt for misuse of private information to be heard alongside the libel battle as it was brought too late. Ms Watt was then dubbed not fit to give oral evidence, revoked permission for her witness statement to be used and withdrew her waiver which would have allowed journalists to say whether she was a source of the leaked stories. Coleen's barrister then told the High Court Rebekah 'appears to accept' her agent was the source of the leaked stories and argued her new statement suggested this but Rebekah claimed she 'did not authorise or condone her'. In May 2022, the women finally came face-to-face in court to give evidence as the Wagatha Christie trial began in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Coleen secured her victory the next month when Mrs Justice Steyn delivered her verdict, dismissing the claim made by Rebekah and finding Coleen had proved the meaning of her famous accusatory letter was 'substantially true'. Whilst Coleen said she was 'pleased' the judge had ruled in her favour, Rebekah declared she was 'extremely sad and disappointed' at the decision. MailOnline has reached out to representatives for Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney for comment.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Time To Say Goodbye? Andrea Bocelli's wife cuts management ties
Blinded when he was 12 years old, Andrea Bocelli faced more challenges than most on his rise to become one of the best loved performers on the planet – supported by friends, family and his wife. But it seems the couple are not adored by all – and certainly not by the firm that used to manage Bocelli's stellar career. Indeed, I can disclose that, so badly has the relationship soured, Quest Management (UK) has initiated a High Court action against the Italian tenor, 66, who performed at King Charles 's coronation concert. Bocelli – who has sold more than 90million records and been garlanded with innumerable awards, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – was managed by Quest for 'many years', according to legal documents from the company. These state that an agreement was made between them and the opera star in 2018, then extended in March 2022 and March 2023, continuing until last month, when Bocelli's wife Veronica allegedly ended it by email on April 20. Quest says that the 'wrongful purported termination' has caused it 'very substantial loss and damage' – losses the company claims it 'will continue to suffer'. As a result, it is seeking unlimited damages from Bocelli, as well as costs. The singer has previously described Veronica, 25 years his junior, as the love of his life, saying she is 'the electric current that energises everything and makes it all work in perfect harmony'. Despite an apparent lack of harmony with Quest, its sister company, Quest Artist Management, continues to display Bocelli's photograph on its website, in a sequence that also includes Sir Paul McCartney and Bocelli's younger son from his first marriage, Matteo. A spokesman for Bocelli declines to comment, while Quest refrains from adding to the details in its High Court claim. Let's hope matters can be resolved without an aria of anguish, even if it is Time To Say Goodbye. It isn't over until Antigoni sings Her mother, the TV presenter Tonia Buxton, has been called 'the face of Greek food'. And now Love Island star Antigoni hopes to become the face of Cyprus – at next year's Eurovision Song Contest. The pop singer, 29, tells me at the launch party for Harry's King's Cross restaurant in London: 'I'm starting a campaign to represent Cyprus. I'm Greek Cypriot and I'm proud of my roots.' Antigoni entered Love Island in 2022. She competed to represent Greece at Eurovision a year later but wasn't chosen. The smart set's talking flogging heirlooms as the Lords faces uncertainty His father, the 8th Earl of Arran, helped pass the act that eventually decriminalised homosexuality. But Arthur Desmond Colquhoun Gore has concluded that there's no future for another minority – his fellow hereditary peers. The 9th Earl is, I can disclose, flogging not only the robes worn by his grandparents at the coronations of George VI and Queen Elizabeth, but also the family coronet. And going under the hammer next Tuesday at auctioneer Dreweatts in Newbury, Berkshire, they have already attracted bids for more than the £1,100 estimate. What would his father, known as 'Boofy', have made of it all? Once asked why the bill to decriminalise homosexuality had succeeded whereas his attempt to outlaw the hunting of badgers had failed, the 8th Earl of Arran famously replied: 'Not many badgers in the House of Lords.' Ecclestone heiress gives up mega-mansion sale Petra Ecclestone and her husband Sam Palmer are well practised in the art of the luxury property flip. Their LA mansion was recently put on the market for £31.5million, with Sam explaining that they enjoy 'doing projects' – buying, redesigning, and selling high-end homes. But the couple's six-year attempt to offload one of London's most expensive residences has ended in a quiet retreat. I can reveal that they have now taken their £175million Chelsea mega-mansion off the market, having failed to tempt a suitably deep-pocketed buyer. 'This house is not for sale,' Sam confirms. 'We have had multiple offers over the years – £100million-plus – but it has been so hard for us to let go of this home. 'With planning permission now, you can no longer replicate this house. That is why it's so special.' The Grade II-listed property, which was originally two separate houses, was bought by the younger daughter of Formula 1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone in 2011 for just under £60million with her then-husband, James Stunt. Moss is DJ pal's maid of honour ... and cocktails This should be a lively wedding: DJ Fat Tony is due to exchange vows on Saturday afternoon, with a very colourful best man and maid of honour. Tony, 59, will have Culture Club singer Boy George at his right hand as he marries creative director Stavros Agapiou. Meanwhile, Kate Moss 'is going to have a big role and will be maid of honour', a friend tells me. 'It means the world to Tony that Kate will be on hand to play her part on the day.' The supermodel, 51, has been pals with Tony since 1993, when he was the resident DJ at club Fred's in Soho. He has previously said of their friendship: 'She'll always be one of my best friends – she's an incredible person. 'I loved her from the moment I met her. I used to make Long Island iced teas and she'd get so p***ed I'd tuck her under the desk downstairs [in the club] to have a sleep, and go down every now and again to give her a little kick to check she was all right.' Also making an appearance on Saturday, Kylie Minogue is due to perform at the reception. Nicole's a hit for Dame Pat Nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd's production of Sunset Boulevard, Nicole Scherzinger is getting ready for her close-up. I hear Dame Pat McGrath, hailed as the world's most influential make-up artist, has offered to prepare the former Pussycat Dolls star, 46, for the ceremony. 'She was deeply impressed by Nicole's performance,' an associate says. Can't beat 'em? Celia joins Garrick Never afraid to plough her own furrow, actress Celia Imrie has made history in London's clubland. I can disclose that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel star has become the first woman to be elected a member of the Garrick. Imrie, 72, joins fellow actresses Dames Judi Dench and Sian Phillips, who were fast-tracked without a vote into the venerable Covent Garden institution in the wake of the men-only rule being jettisoned last summer. Olivier Award-winning Imrie, who has starred in films including Calendar Girls and Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace, hit the headlines when it was disclosed that she had reached an agreement with a male friend for him to father a child with her and then give up parental responsibility. It was later revealed the man in question was her fellow actor Benjamin Whitrow, who died in 2017 aged 80. Their son, Angus, now 30, played 'Creepy Jake' in the hit comedy Fleabag. (Very) modern manners While the new young cast has just been unveiled for her forthcoming Harry Potter TV series, JK Rowling has other pressing concerns. 'What's the best vape?' the author, who has long battled a nicotine habit, inquires online. 'Asking for someone whose rubbish vape is on the blink. I'm not selling them to children, just asking.' Recently photographed smoking a cigar to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling a woman is defined by biological sex, Rowling – who has relied on nicotine gum in the past – clarifies: 'Not disposables, I hate them.' Four divorces down, actress Jane Seymour now reveals she's back on friendly terms with the two fathers of her children. Despite painful splits from third and fourth spouses David Flynn and James Keach – both had affairs and businessman Flynn's financial dealings left her bankrupt in the 1990s – the mother of four confirms: 'Miraculously, we're all friends now. We all get along really well. You decide, for the sake of the children.' As James Corden showed off his fuller figure on a superyacht in Portofino this week, his Gavin And Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones made an impassioned defence of rotund romantics. Asked about larger characters such as Nessa and Smithy, played by her and Corden in the BBC sitcom, she says: 'That's what real life is. We wrote Nessa and Smithy's story and made them such great characters because you don't get people like that represented [on TV]. 'You assume people like that don't have great sex, are not romantic and are not great fun to be with.' The rivalry between David Cameron and Boris Johnson goes back as far as their days at Eton and Oxford. So it was good to see them make a collective £5,000 at a BrainWaves charity fundraiser for young people. One auction lot was a game of tennis with Dave; the other a dinner for two with Boris.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Susan Magnier backs billionaire husband John, claiming €15m land deal was agreed before being reneged upon
Susan Magnier, the wife of billionaire John Magnier, has backed her husband's claim at the High Court, saying that an alleged deal was agreed for a large tract of farmland in Co Tipperary, which later collapsed when a higher bidder was preferred over their offer of €15 million. At the High Court on Friday, Mrs Magnier told Caren Geoghegan SC, for the Magniers, that she was present at kitchen table negotiations over the property when the vendors received their €15 million offer. Mrs Magnier said the vendors and an estate agent then moved to another room to ring the trustees and a beneficiary of Barne Estate before returning to the meeting to accept the Magniers' offer. Mrs Magnier, who appeared by video link, said that all parties then had a 'light-hearted' dinner. READ MORE Lawyers acting for Mr Magnier, founder of Coolmore Stud, have claimed before the High Court that the preferred buyer, US-based construction magnate Maurice Regan, engaged in a 'full frontal assault' on Mr Magnier's claimed deal to buy 751 acres of land. Mr Magnier's proceedings claim that Barne Estate reneged on the alleged deal, preferring to sell the land at the higher price of €22.25 million to Mr Regan, the founder of the New York building firm JT Magen. Mr Magnier and his adult children want to enforce the alleged deal. They say the deal was struck during a meeting on August 22nd, 2023, at Mr Magnier's Coolmore home in Co Tipperary. They also claim an exclusivity agreement that was in effect from August 31st to September 30th stipulated that the estate would not permit its representatives to solicit or encourage any expression of interest, inquiry or offer on the property from anyone other than Mr Magnier. Barne Estate has been held for the benefit of Richard Thomson-Moore and others by a Jersey trust. The Magnier side has sued the Barne Estate, Mr Thomson-Moore and three companies of IQEQ (Jersey) Ltd group, seeking to enforce the purported deal, which they say had been 'unequivocally' agreed. The Barne defendants say there was never any such agreement, as they needed the consent of the trustees to finalise any agreement and subsequently they preferred to sell the estate to Mr Regan. Mr Regan is not a party to the case. Mrs Magnier, whose husband concluded his evidence in the case on Friday morning, said that she was present at the kitchen table meeting with the defendants and estate agent John Stokes on the night of August 22nd, 2023. Mrs Magnier claims that after the Thomson-Moores were offered the €15 million, Mr Thomson-Moore allegedly told the table that he, his wife Anna and Mr Stokes had to make phone calls to the trustees and Mr Thomson-Moore's sister to get their consent. They went to another room to do this, she said. Mrs Magnier said that when Mr Stokes returned he was 'elated' that a deal was done and was 'clearly delighted'. 'Everyone was happy. We all shook hands and we asked if they would stay for dinner and they said they would,' said Mrs Magnier. Niall F Buckley SC, for the defendants, said Mr Stokes will give evidence that he never said the trustees were going to be contacted on the night. He added that phone evidence will show no trustee was contacted immediately after the offer. Farm manager at Coolmore, Joe Holohan, who was also present at the kitchen table meeting, said Mr Magnier wanted to get a deal done on the night as there was 'no messing around' with him. Mr Holohan claims that Mr Stokes and the Thomson-Moores left the kitchen saying they had to go to make phone calls. He added that when they returned to the table, Mr Stokes was smiling 'from ear to ear' and all parties then shook hands. The case continues before Mr Justice Max Barrett next week.
GSM Arena
a day ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Samsung hit with $117M fine over patent infringement
Samsung found itself under a patent infringement case filed with the U.S. District Court in Texarkana, Texas. The court reached an early verdict and ordered Samsung to pay out $117.7 million in damages. The plaintiff? Maxell (formerly Hitachi Maxell), whose patents related to Galaxy smartphone and tablet unlocking tech, data management and smart home platforms were violated. The current case was initially filed back in September 2023 when Maxell accused Samsung of violating seven of its patents by selling a variety of products, including the SmartThings station alongside smartphones, laptops and home appliances all using Maxell's patented tech. Samsung SmartThings station According to a report shared by The Korea Herald, Samsung licensed Maxell's patents for the duration of ten years back in 2011. Once the initial agreement expired in 2021, Samsung continued using the patented tech without renegotiating its license with Maxell. The Japanese company then filed legal complaints across several district courts across the U.S, Germany and Japan. Samsung can appeal the current district court decision to a higher court, and is expected to do so, which means this legal battle is far from over. Source
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Father dragged away from his dying daughter's hospital bedside by police faces legal bill of up to £100,000 after losing wrongful arrest case
A father who was forcibly dragged away from his dying daughter's hospital bedside by police is now facing a legal bill of up to £100,000 after losing his wrongful arrest case. Dr Rashid Abbasi, an NHS consultant, had brought a civil claim against Northumbria Police for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, and assault and battery following the harrowing incident at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Disturbing police bodycam footage showed Dr Abbasi shouting 'b*******' and biting officers as they restrained and removed him from the children's intensive care unit in August 2019. The five-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court ended with a judge condemning Dr Abbasi and describing his behaviour as the spark for the violent incident in the paediatric unit. He also described who described Dr Abbasi as a 'menace' on the ward. Now, six years after the incident, the father faces a massive legal bill. He will have to cover not only his own costs but also between 60 and 70 per cent of the legal fees incurred by Northumbria Police. This bill is estimated to be anywhere from £50,000 to £100,000, the Mirror reports. Despite attempts by Dr Abbasi to recover some of the costs through a one-way cost shifting regime, it is understood that the police opposed the move, and the judge is expected to reject it. This means Dr Abbasi will be liable for tens of thousands of pounds in costs. Recorder James Murphy, who presided over the case, said police footage showed Dr Abbasi instigated the violence in the hospital ward. The ruling dealt a heavy blow to Dr Abbasi, who had previously expressed deep distress at being removed from his daughter Zainab's bedside shortly after her life support was withdrawn. In court, the judge said there was sufficient reason for police to believe a breach of the peace was imminent. He added: 'If I was a bystander having watched this footage, a reasonable description would have been that Dr Abbasi was a coiled spring waiting to breach the peace.' Following the verdict, Dr Abbasi said the judge's description of him as a 'menace' was 'unwarranted' and 'hurtful,' and that the video footage 'tells its own story.' He added that the officers accepted he was not aggressive or threatening before they laid hands on him. Rashid Abbasi, his wife Aliya and another relative, are seen at Zainab's bedside as police enter the ward The incident involving Dr Abbasi took place at Newcastle's Great North Children's Hospital - which was named after an injunction was lifted by the Court of Appeal in 2020. The Court of Appeal also allowed the naming of the doctors in charge of Zainab's care, but this was appealed by the NHS trusts involved. However, the Supreme Court last month unanimously dismissed the appeal - allowing the medics to be identified. Dr Abbasi's arrest came after the he and his wife were involved in a protracted dispute with doctors over the care of their critically ill daughter. The six-year-old was suffering from respiratory problems and a rare genetic illness called Niemann-Pick disease, which meant she was likely to die during childhood. Medics insisted Zainab should be allowed to die but Dr and Mrs Abbasi fought for further treatment that they were convinced would keep her alive. The couple clashed with Zainab's doctors for years over her treatment. They said that on two previous occasions when Zainab was critically ill they had successfully argued for her to be treated with steroids instead of having life support withdrawn, and were proved correct when her condition improved. After her admission to hospital in July 2019, Dr and Mrs Abbasi believed that, while their daughter was dangerously ill, she could survive with the right care. But the following month on August 19, doctors told the Abbasis that Zainab was dying. An audio recording revealed how one doctor told them that 'the next steps would involve taking her off the ventilator'. Rashid and Aliya pleaded for further tests, but one of the doctors refused, saying the process of moving Zainab on to palliative care needed to start 'straight away'. Rashid told them they would have to get a court order to do so. Urged again to carry out more tests, the doctor replied 'We are not going to be doing any more going round in circles', adding: 'You will never come to terms with this.'
