Coleen Rooney's lawyer says minibar bill in Wagatha case was for 'two bottles of water'

A minibar bill run up by one of Coleen Rooney’s lawyers consisted of “two bottles of water” amid claims of “extraordinary” spending during the high-profile court case dubbed "Wagatha Christie".

It has returned to the High Court, with Rebekah Vardy challenging the "sheer magnitude" of the legal costs claimed by Coleen Rooney from their 2022 libel trial.

Mrs Vardy sued Mrs Rooney for libel after the latter accused her of leaking private information to the press on social media in 2019, but Mrs Justice Steyn ruled in July 2022 that the accusation was “substantially true”.

In October 2022, the judge ordered Mrs Vardy to pay 90 per cent of Mrs Rooney's legal costs, with their lawyers returning to court in London in a dispute over how much should be paid.

Ms Vardy is now challenging the £1.8million bill, which she believes has been unjustly bloated by Wayne Rooney's wife.

This reportedly includes a £2,000 charge for her solicitor's stay at London's five-star Nobu Hotel, as well as a £225 food and mini-bar tab.

Barristers for Mrs Vardy told the court in written submissions that some of Mrs Rooney's legal costs were "extraordinary", including money for a lawyer staying "at the Nobu Hotel, incurring substantial dinner and drinks charges as well as minibar charges".

But on Tuesday, Mrs Rooney's barrister, Robin Dunne, said that the comment had been made "no doubt to try and argue that the defendant has been profligate in her spending on this litigation" and that it gave a "misleading and factually inaccurate" account.

He said: "Yesterday morning, The Sun ran a front-page headline which dealt with minibar charges.

"It also was reported around the world, over and over again on Twitter, or X, and the impression given by the claimant, Mrs Vardy, when she spoke to The Sun or her sources, was clearly that this was evidence of the defendant spending wildly and that is what she says was wholly unreasonable.

"There are some factual inaccuracies. It is both misleading and factually inaccurate and it is potentially defamatory, and steps are being taken in that respect."

Mr Dunne said that one of Mrs Rooney's solicitors only stayed at the hotel due to a problem with their original booking elsewhere.

He said: "(The solicitor) did not book the Nobu Hotel. He booked a modest hotel but on the first night of staying there did not have any working wifi or shower.

"He was offered to stay at the Nobu by the defendant's agent, who has a preferential rate."

Mr Dunne said that the food and minibar tab ran up to £225, but said the minibar tab "ran to £7, and ran to two bottles of water".

He continued that the solicitor paid £295 per night to stay at the hotel when going rates are more than £600 a night.

Jamie Carpenter KC, for Mrs Vardy, said in response: "We do say that the defendant's costs are extravagant, but the line-by-line issues are for another occasion."

The hearing is dealing with points of principle before a line-by-line assessment of costs, which is due to take place at a later date.

In written submissions, Mr Carpenter said that Mrs Rooney's total claimed legal bill - £1,833,906.89 - was more than three times her "agreed costs budget of £540,779.07" and was "disproportionate".

The hearing before Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker, which neither Mrs Rooney nor Mrs Vardy attended on Tuesday, is expected to conclude on Wednesday.