Deni Varnhagen wins appeal on Covid vaccination costs fight

Deni Varnhagen lost the battle against SA’s Covid laws but has won the war on costs – leaving taxpayers with a large legal bill.

Nurse and AFLW footballer Deni Varnhagen lost her fight with the state’s Covid laws but has won the battle over court costs – leaving taxpayers with a $46,000 bill.

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal granted Varnhagen’s challenge to an order she pay $70,000 in court costs for her challenges to vaccine mandates for health workers.

AFLW player Deni Varnhagen arrives at the Supreme Court for an earlier appearance. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

It ordered she pay $14,000 for one part of her legal battle, and an amount yet to be determined for several days of court hearings.

Legal sources suggest that second amount is unlikely to exceed $10,000.

Ms Varnhagen’s personal legal bill will be paid for by way of donations from supporters.

In September, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge, by Varnhagen and others, to the vaccine mandate imposed upon workers during the pandemic’s quarantine phase.

That mandate no longer existed, and had been overtaken by new laws, by the time the repeatedly-delayed case made it to trial.

Varnhagen’s appeal against the dismissal failed last month, leaving her liable to pay the government’s costs.