Vardy v Rooney [2022] EWHC 2017 (QB) (29 July 2022)

Vardy v Rooney [2022] EWHC 2017 (QB) (29 July 2022)

The defendant, Ms Rooney, proved on the balance of probabilities that the single meaning of her publication—that Ms Vardy had regularly and frequently abused her status as a trusted follower of Ms Rooney’s personal Instagram account by secretly informing The Sun newspaper of Ms Rooney’s private posts and stories—was substantially true. The court found that Ms Vardy, together with her agent Ms Watt, was responsible for leaking information from Ms Rooney’s private Instagram account to The Sun. The claimant’s evidence was not credible, and the deliberate destruction of evidence by Ms Vardy and Ms Watt supported adverse inferences against the claimant. The public interest defence was not...

Citation
[2022] EWHC 2017 (QB)
Parties
Claimant: Rebekah Vardy; Defendant: Coleen Rooney
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
29 July 2022
Procedural Posture
Libel Claim (defamation) / Judgment After Trial
Outcome
Claim dismissed
Legal Topics
Libel, Defamation Act 2013, Truth Defence, Public Interest Defence, Social Media, Reputation, Evidence, Destruction of Evidence
Defamation Media Law Libel Defamation Act 2013 Truth Defence Public Interest Defence Social Media Reputation +2 more

Case Brief

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Parties

Rebekah Vardy

Claimant

Coleen Rooney

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Libel Claim (defamation) / Judgment After Trial

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the defendant's publication was defamatory of the claimant
  2. 2 Whether the defendant has established the statutory defence of truth under s.2 Defamation Act 2013
  3. 3 Whether the defendant has established the statutory defence of publication on a matter of public interest under s.4 Defamation Act 2013

Ratio Decidendi

The defendant, Ms Rooney, proved on the balance of probabilities that the single meaning of her publication—that Ms Vardy had regularly and frequently abused her status as a trusted follower of Ms Rooney’s personal Instagram account by secretly informing The Sun newspaper of Ms Rooney’s private posts and stories—was substantially true. The court found that Ms Vardy, together with her agent Ms Watt, was responsible for leaking information from Ms Rooney’s private Instagram account to The Sun. The claimant’s evidence was not credible, and the deliberate destruction of evidence by Ms Vardy and Ms Watt supported adverse inferences against the claimant. The public interest defence was not...

Court Disposition

Claim dismissed

Orders

  • The claim is dismissed; judgment for the defendant.
  • No damages awarded to the claimant.