Judge halts new legal battle by Elton John

An attempt by Sir Elton John to reopen a multimillion-pound legal battle against the management company run by his former lover John Reid was thwarted yesterday by a High Court judge.

Mr Justice Ferris said that an appeal by the singer to overturn the verdict on a case he lost against the company and his former accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers, had no real prospect of success.

In April the High Court rejected a claim by the singer against Andrew Haydon, who was the managing director of John Reid Enterprises (JREL), for allowing the company to charge him "several millions" for international tour expenses.

He also accused PricewaterhouseCoopers of negligence in handling his affairs. Both defendants contested the allegations against them.

After a 43-day hearing, Mr Justice Ferris ruled that Sir Elton's claim had failed, leaving the singer with an £8m legal bill.

Yesterday, the judge said an application to reverse the decision could only be successful if Sir Elton's team could convince the court the judgment was wrong on at least four major points. The singer, 54, still has the option of applying directly to the Court of Appeal.

The dispute began in March 1998, when Sir Elton began to question his earnings after being warned that he was spending too much money. The hearing was told that he once spent £40m in 20 months, including £293,000 on flowers.