Posh sued for 'rude attack'

Victoria Beckham has been branded "rude and loud and unreasonable" in the Appeal Court today.

While husband David leads England to hoped-for further World Cup glory, she was being accused of almost destroying a family business with her "shocking" outburst in front of customers over the sale of his autographs which she suspected were forgeries.

She was also blamed today for increasing the damage by seeking publicity about the row.

The 27-year-old former Posh Spice is alleged to have lost her cool on a trip to the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent in March last year when she allegedly accused a shop of "ripping off" customers by selling fake signatures of her 26-year-old England captain husband.

The shop, GT's Recollections, run by Timothy, Glynis and Anthony McManus, specialises in selling genuine celebrity autographs and denied Victoria's allegation.

But since the allegations, says their counsel James Price QC, their once-thriving business has fallen off drastically and could be destroyed.

Sales which had increased by 9.4 per cent in the 12 months before the allegations were down in the eight months that followed by 26.5 per cent.

He said once the allegation was made by such a "super celebrity" in public "it was like setting a wildfire".

"It was bound to, and did, race around the shopping mall and trade and it was only a matter of time before it made it into the press, as it did."

He added: "It is alleged her manner was rude and loud and unreasonable and to draw attention to what she said.

"Our case is that it was a shocking incident to those who witnessed it and was totally unreasonable behaviour."

They are suing her for damages for slander, claiming she acted maliciously.

They say her allegations that they were selling fakes meant that they were acting dishonestly and fraudulently. But they say they run an "honest, proper and reputable" business selling genuine autographs.

They claim there had been repetition of the allegation and say "she well knew and could foresee it would come to the attention of the media". "No matter whatever her intentions were, it was inevitable it would spread. It was reasonably foreseeable and she forsaw it."

But last November in the High Court Judge Previte struck out that part of their claim.

He said it was a "far cry" from accepting whatever she did outside her home would get into the media, from saying in law it was a natural and probable consequence.

So while they could still sue her for damages for the alleged slander to the two shop assistants and three customers in the shop at the time, they could not get additional damages for the effect the resulting publicity had on their business.

Mr Price said they had traced one of the customers, Mrs Sandra Phelps, a 37-year-old vicar's wife from Surrey, but the other two customers were teenage girls who had not been traced.

Mr Price claims the judge was wrong to strike out that part of the claim which he says should be left to the trial of the action.

He is asking for the claim to be restored.

Victoria Beckham, who was not in court, denies the allegations.

The appeal continues.

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