Wayne Rooney's lawyers have claimed victory in the latest round of a
multi-million pound legal fight with a sports management firm.
Proactive, which used to represent Rooney and his wife Coleen, said it was owed
commission payments and made a £4.3 million claim against the 26-year-old
Manchester United and England striker.
The Court of Appeal delivered judgment after a hearing in London on Thursday.
A solicitor representing Rooney said after ruling that judges had
concluded that an "image rights agreement'' between the star and Proactive was
"unenforceable''.
And Paul Hughes said Proactive had not succeeded in its claim for £4.3
million.
He said judges had ruled in Proactive's favour on one point and in Rooney's
favour on other points.
"We are delighted,'' said Hughes. "We have most certainly won.''
Rooney claimed victory after the first round of litigation in July last year.
Judge Brendan Hegarty QC ruled that Rooney should pay £5,000, and his wife
around £90,000, following a hearing at Manchester Mercantile Court.
Proactive appealed, during a hearing at the Court of Appeal in London in July
this year, and asked three appeal judges to overturn the ruling.
Rooney argued that Judge Hegarty's ruling was correct and said the appeal
should be dismissed.
The three appeal judges - Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice Sullivan and Lord
Justice Gross - announced their decision on Thursday.
Lady Justice Arden handed down the judgment in London today and said the appeal
had been allowed "in part''.
Hughes said appeal judges had decided that Rooney did not need to pay Proactive
any more than the £5,000 Judge Hegarty ordered.
He said they had concluded that Mrs Rooney should pay more than the £90,000
Judge Hegarty ordered - and that amount had yet to be assessed. He estimated
that the additional amount would be in the tens of thousands.
Hughes added: "They (Proactive) didn't get the £4.3 million they had claimed.
They succeeded on one (legal) point.''
Judge Hegarty heard that Rooney had been signed by agent Paul Stretford for
Proactive in 2002 when he was playing for Everton.
Stretford, a founder and director of Proactive, left the firm in 2008. He
launched a new sports management firm and took Rooney with him.
Rooney had not made commission payments on deals after Stretford left, the
judge was told.
Proactive argued that, because contracts were brokered by Stretford while he
was still at the firm, it was due commission.
Christopher Jeans QC, for Proactive, told the appeal court that Judge Hegarty
had described the dispute as a "tug of war''.
"The judge described these present proceedings as something of a tug of war
between Proactive and Mr Stretford over the right to represent Wayne Rooney,''
said Mr Jeans.
"They (Proactive) have not tried to hold Mr Rooney to Proactive but seek to be
paid for the contracts they secured.''
Commenting on the victory, Rooney said: "I am delighted to have finally
won this case.
"I was stunned when Proactive claimed the amounts they did. Coleen and I have
always been happy to pay proper commissions to the people who are owed them.
"But Proactive's claim for money after we left the company were a joke. They
were trying to exploit me and I am happy that justice has been done.''
"I never wanted to go to court in the first place. But you just have to fight
for what's right in life. That's what I've always done.''
Proactive has yet to comment on the ruling.
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