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JoeyBartonto pay Jeremy Vine's 200k legal bill after 'calculated attack' libel battle

Former Manchester City and Newcastle footballer Joey Barton will pay than 200,000 of Jeremy Vines legal costs after their High Court libel battle

[Joey Barton]

Joey Barton has been ordered to pay more than 200,000 of Jeremy Vines legal costs

Former footballer Joey Barton will pay more than 200,000 of Jeremy Vines legal costs after their High Court libel battle, a court has heard.

Vine sued Barton for libel and harassment over several online posts, including one in which he falsely called the BBC Radio 2 presenter a big bike n**** and a p*** defender on X, formerly Twitter.

The pair settled the claim last year after Barton posted two apologies on the same social media platform and paid a total of 110,000 in damages to Vine, as well as his legal costs.

In an agreed statement read out at the High Court in October last year, barrister Gervase de Wilde, for Vine, said that the broadcaster was deeply alarmed, distressed and upset by Bartons actions, which included a persistent and highly damaging campaign of defamation, harassment and misuse of private information.

On Tuesday, a specialist costs court heard that Barton had agreed to pay 160,000 of Vines costs from the main legal action.

[Jeremy Vine]

Jeremy Vine sued Joey Barton for libel and harassment(Image: PA)

Costs Judge Colum Leonard also ordered Barton to pay a further 43,172.30 arising from the negotiation of the 160,000 figure, meaning he will pay a total of 203,172.30 of Vines costs following the legal action.

Lawyers for Vine told the High Court in May last year that Bartons posts amounted to a calculated and sustained attack.

Barton who played for teams including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Rangers, and French side Marseille during his career also began using #biken**** on X, which led to it trending on the platform.

[Jeremy Vine]

Jeremy Vine won their high court battle(Image: Getty Images For The Cambridge Union)

After Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that some of the posts could defame Vine, Barton apologised to the journalist in June last year, stating that the allegations he made were untrue.

He said that he would pay Vine 75,000 in damages, but solicitors for Vine later said Barton would pay a further 35,000 as part of a separate settlement for claims published after legal action began.

Mr De Wilde told the October hearing that Barton made four undertakings as part of the settlement, including not to harass Vine or encourage others to do so.

[Joey Barton]

Joey Barton apologised to the journalist in June last year(Image: Ben Hoskins/REX/Shutterstock)

Vine said following that hearing that Barton needs to find himself a different hobby.

The hearing on Tuesday was told that Barton agreed to pay 160,000 of Vines legal costs earlier this month, and that Vine was claiming around 60,000 in costs for negotiating that figure.

Suzanne Holmes, for Barton , said this was excessive and disproportionate, and should be reduced.

Kevin Latham, representing Vine, said Barton had repeatedly failed to engage in proper negotiation throughout proceedings and has to bear the consequences of that approach. Neither Barton nor Vine attended the hearing in London.

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