Rape shame footie ace David Goodwillie faces bankruptcy after lawyer’s demand £15k legal bill in one go
The former Dundee United striker has been ordered to pay one lump sum along with £100,000 in damages to Denise Clair
RAPE shame footie star David Goodwillie could face bankruptcy after being told to pay a whopping legal bill in one go.
The disgraced player had offered to pay back the £15,000 lawyers tab racked up during the high profile case at £500 a month.
But lawyers acting for law firm Kennedys Scotland have now demanded he pay back the cash in one lump sum.
Former Dundee United team-mates Goodwillie, 27, and David Robertson, 30, were ordered to pay agreed damages of £100,000 to Denise Clair, 30, last month.
Goodwillie left English League Two club Plymouth Argyle in the wake of the ruling.
And solicitor Michael Vaughan has asked a judge at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to knock back a request by Goodwillie to pay the money back in instalments.
He said the sum owed was £15, 513.60.
He added: “The defender admits this debt and he has offered to pay back £500 per month for legal fees.
“The time to pay application is opposed. At the rate of £500 per month it would take over 31 months to satisfy the debt in full. Essentially there’s a real risk the defender will not be able to meet the payments as agreed.”
Mr Vaughan said that after the Court of Session it was heard that Goodwillie had just £100,000.
He added that it appeared “highly unlikely” the figure would cover the principal sum sued for in the rape case and expenses.
He said Goodwillie’s net income had been £4200 per week when he asked to pay back £500 per month. But he said the player had since left his position.
And he said the fact Goodwillie planned to seek legal aid to appeal against the rape case decision was another indicator of his current financial situation.
Sheriff Peter Braid said if he granted Goodwillie’s request to pay back £500 per month the footaller “couldn’t afford to pay that”.
He added: “The pursuers had already allowed a period of time to pay the debt through the defender’s representatives. They have failed the opportunity to do so. There’s a real risk given his financial standing that he will not be able to make the monthly payments.”
Miss Clair, 30, sued the pair at the Court of Session in Edinburgh claiming they sexually assaulted and raped her at a flat in Armadale, West Lothian.
Neither footballer was prosecuted in a criminal court and both men maintained that sex had been consensual.
Goodwillie was not present at yesterday’s hearing, but he can appeal the sheriff’s decision.
If Goodwillie fails to pay the cash back he could face bankruptcy.
Goodwillie lost almost £20,000 on a house he sold ahead of the rape lawsuit.
The former Aberdeen striker wanted £360,000 for the five-bedroom detached pad — £1,000 more than he paid for it in 2013.
But sale records reveal he flogged it for £340,000 to a woman who lives on the same street in Stirling.
It changed hands early last month, weeks before a £500,000 damages hearing.
Judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh had ordered Goodwillie to set aside £100,000 from the sale as his legal bond.
The ace failed to overturn the ruling by claiming he would struggle to pay his legal fees without the full proceeds.
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun Online? Email us at scottishsundigital@news.co.uk or call 0141 420 5266