Rebekah Vardy is suing Coleen Rooney as “a last resort … to defend her reputation,” her attorney has announced a hearing in the High Court.
Ms. Rooney, 34, accused Ms. Vardy last October of sharing stories about her personal life to the media – Ms. Rooney was quickly dubbed “Wagatha Christie” on social media for her blatant brawl.
Wayne and Coleen Rooney
Leicester City striker’s wife Jamie Vardy has always denied any involvement and Hugh Tomlinson QC has insisted the leaks didn’t come from her.
He said the October 2019 events had been “trivialized” in the media and labeled “Wag Wars” as what happened “continued to have a negative impact” on Ms. Vardy.
Mr Tomlinson told Mr Justice Warby: “The fact that both women are married to professional footballers has led to this action being trivialized in some media as ‘Wag Wars’, but the effects on Mrs Vardy have not been trivial.”
He added, “She has faced an inadequate and unjustified attack that has and continues to affect her.”
Ms. Vardy arrives for a training session at the National Ice Center in Nottingham to prepare to attend Dancing On Ice 2021
Ms. Rooney wrote: “For several years now, someone I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been regularly informing The Sun newspaper of my private posts and stories.”
She added dramatically, “I saved all of the original stories and took screenshots that clearly show that only one person viewed them.
“It’s ……………. Rebekah Vardy’s account.”
Hugh Tomlinson QC said Ms. Rooney’s posts were an “untrue and unjustified defamatory attack” that was “published and republished on millions of people.”
He said Ms. Rooney’s allegation “leaves the reasonable reader in no doubt that the defendant accuses the applicant of consistently and repeatedly betraying her confidence over several years.”
Mr. Tomlinson said: “It is not the language of suspicion, it is the language to find out the truth.
Mrs. Vardy (L) is suing Mrs. Rooney
“In fact, she didn’t do anything wrong. Whatever was leaking didn’t come from her,” he added.
Mr Tomlinson said that Ms. Rooney’s post “included a build-up of the” great disclosure “of the identity of the person responsible,” adding, “The defendant’s detective work description makes it clear that the plaintiff is supposed to be responsible for the leakage of the three named specific stories. “
Ms. Rooney alleged Ms. Vardy leaked three “false stories” she posted on Instagram about “Gender Selection in Mexico,” Ms. Rooney returned to television, and the basement in her new home was flooded.
Ms. Rooney’s attorney David Sherborne, who also represented Johnny Depp in his most recent case, said in written posts, “we can defend it as true” that it was Ms. Vardy’s Instagram account that was responsible for the leakage of posts was responsible.
He said the people with authorized access to Ms. Vardy’s account are her agent, husband and his social media manager.
Mr Sherborne said that people who read Ms. Rooney’s posts who consistently used the word “account” knew that the posts could be from “someone using her account.”
He added that it is “widely known” that agents have access to celebrity Instagram accounts.
Mr Justice Warby must determine the “natural and ordinary” meaning of Ms. Rooney’s posts on Instagram and Twitter before deciding whether to bring the case to justice.
At the end of the hearing, which lasted just over an hour, the judge said he would make his decision on Friday afternoon.
Neither Ms. Rooney nor Ms. Vardy visited the Royal Courts of Justice in London, but Ms. Vardy was seen arriving Dancing on Ice Rehearsals in Nottingham.
