THE Wagatha saga exploded back into life as Coleen Rooney and Becky Vardy’s lawyers slugged it out in a bitter new war.
The pair are fighting over a £320,000 bill Becky ran up before the 2022 libel trial.
She is holidaying in Thailand while Coleen challenges having to pay 20 per cent.
The 42-year-old is relaxing at the Koh Samui hotspot with England striker hubby Jamie, 37, and their five kids.
“Wag War Two” heard Becky’s lawyers worked on Christmas Day ahead of the 2022 libel trial, which saw Coleen accuse Becky of leaking stories about her.
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Lawyers for Coleen, 38, are contesting having to pay 20 per cent of £320,000 pre- trial costs run up by Becky’s team, saying they are “unreasonable and disproportionate”.
But Becky’s lawyers insist the costs are proportionate.
And her pals say she is confident of winning the latest row at the High Court despite losing in summer 2022.
Insiders say Becky’s team are also preparing to fight back later this year after she was made liable for 90 per cent of Coleen’s £1.8million costs.
Becky shared selfies by the pool at the swish five-star Four Seasons, where the Sky Atlantic TV hit White Lotus was filmed.
A source said: “Becky is living her best life in Thailand with Jamie and their kids.
"Being dragged back into a war with Coleen is the last thing she wanted but her team will fight to win this round — and then they hope to get Coleen’s costs knocked down later this year.
“Becky believes Coleen’s £1.8million costs have been inflated and her team will have their say when they face off for Wag War Three in October.
"She is staying at a very exclusive resort and they are enjoying a well-earned break as a family.
“It’s also a celebration for Jamie who has gone back to the Premier League with Leicester City
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“Becky is confident her team will fight her case for her — all while she’s got a cocktail in her hand and the sun on her back.”
She is staying at a very exclusive resort and they are enjoying a well-earned break as a family
A source
Some of the costs in the current case relate to bids made at a hearing in February 2022 for further documents and information from both sides, as well as Coleen’s attempt to have legal action against Becky’s ex- agent heard alongside the libel claim.
Coleen’s team argued the costs are too much, as they examined the number of people involved in work and the work undertaken, including phone calls, letters and witness statements.
But Becky’s team said people had to work almost every day on the case including on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
'Disproportionate'
Robin Dunne, acting for Coleen, told Senior Costs Judge Andrew Gordon-Saker: “The costs are excessive and disproportionate.
“We are looking at a relatively short period of time here — 61 days.
“The total number of hours claimed in this part is 558.6 hours. The total, even with these reduced hourly rates, is over £320,000.
"That includes £118,000 of counsel’s fees plus VAT and over £149,000 profit costs plus VAT.
“I don’t say that these were inconsequential. These were significant applications and I fully accept there needed to be work done and they needed to be taken seriously.
“But we are looking at a period of around eight and a half weeks work where counsel has been involved very significantly at almost every element of this matter.”
He pointed out legal costs for a different preliminary hearing in the case had been capped at £25,000, while Becky’s total bill for the libel case reached just over £1million.
He said it was “unthinkable” that the court would have allowed Becky to run up the “disproportionate and unreasonable” costs which are at the centre of this dispute.
Jamie Carpenter KC, for Becky, hit back at claims of “tactical low-balling” and said: “These rates are reasonable rates.”
The costs are excessive and disproportionate
Robin Dunne, acting for Coleen
He added: “There’s literally barely a day when work wasn’t done by somebody. Leading counsel worked on the case on Christmas Day while he was on holiday.
"Most people were working on it on Boxing Day, everyone worked on it the subsequent day. It really was all hands to the pumps. Nobody was doing work they didn’t need to do.
“This wasn’t voluntary, it was a huge amount.”
Becky hired Kingsley Napley to represent her in the libel battle, as well as leading barrister Hugh Tomlinson KC and a top junior barrister Sara Mansoori
Today Judge Gordon-Saker is expected to make his decision over whether Becky’s legal bill was disproportionate and what Coleen has to pay.
The pair will then clash again in October where Becky’s team will dispute the £1.8million bill racked up by Coleen’s team.
Last week Coleen was pictured leaving a gym session close to the Cheshire home she shares with new Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne, 38, and their four sons.
The private Koh Samui residence boasts its own wine cellar, butlers and private chefs to hire, and organises private yacht charters.
Neither Becky nor Coleen are expected to attend the next round of legal wranglings later this year.
