Joey Barton has been ordered to compensate Eni Aluko with over £300,000 in damages and legal fees following a defamation lawsuit brought against him.
The former England striker and sports pundit, Aluko, took legal action against Barton over two posts he shared on the social media platform X in 2024.
During the High Court proceedings on Tuesday, it was revealed that the case had been put on hold, with Barton directed to pay substantial damages and cover Aluko’s legal expenses.
Representing Aluko, Gervase de Wilde stated that Barton’s two posts on X falsely accused her of exploiting her status as a victim of racism and bullying and labeled her a hypocrite.
Barton, who has previously managed Fleetwood and Bristol Rovers, was absent from the hearing, with de Wilde informing the court that he was in custody following an arrest the previous day.
De Wilde highlighted that Barton had made 48 posts about Aluko on his X account between January and August 2024, constituting a targeted public defamation campaign against her.
One of Barton’s posts included an inappropriate image where Aluko’s head was superimposed on the body of a notorious serial killer, Rosemary West.
Aluko’s legal representative expressed that Barton’s actions had caused her significant distress and that despite her efforts to defend herself, Barton and his followers continued to attack her.
Aluko was concerned that any attempt to stop the harassment would be manipulated by Barton to further harm her.
Acknowledging his wrongdoing, Barton admitted that his actions against Aluko amounted to harassment, and he should not have made the defamatory posts.
A court order stipulated that Barton must pay £339,000, with an initial payment of £100,000 plus interest due by March 24, and Barton was given a week to contest the order by Justice Lavender.
Aluko appeared in court and expressed her relief that the legal battle had come to a close.