THE Wagatha Christie libel fight between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy has made legal history — with the judgment shaping case law.
Decisions made in the celebrity battle have been used by a judge to settle a row between siblings.
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It was applied to Andrew Wills’ legal fight with sister Bernadette Rogers who wanted £135,000 for looking after their dying mum.
Judge Paul Matthews urged them to settle their dispute by mediation before drawing on Vardy vs Rooney judge Mrs Justice Steyn’s verdict.
He said he was allowed to draw an inference about a participant if they had failed to provide documents which should have been disclosed.
In his judgment, he noted: “Steyn J applied the principle in the case of Vardy v Rooney (2022) where an order was made for the inspection of the telephone of the claimant’s witness, but the phone was allegedly lost overboard whilst on a boat trip a few days later.”
Judge Matthews was referring to Vardy’s then-agent, Caroline Watt, whose phone was apparently lost off Scotland days after 39-year-old Coleen’s lawyers asked to search it for WhatsApp chats.
Mrs Justice Steyn later ruled Becky, 43, and Miss Watt leaked stories about Coleen, who was seen on holiday in Ibiza this week with footballer husband Wayne.
The couple were spotted at the Cala Bassa Beach Club in Ibiza, with Wayne sporting a full beard and a black baseball cap.
Major blow for Becky Vardy as Coleen Rooney WINS latest Wagatha Christie battle
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