Sugar loses Stella English legal fee fight

Former Apprentice winner triumphant as tribunal rules she does not have to repay legal fees from constructive dismissal case

Alan Sugar has lost his fight to force former Apprentice winner Stella English to pay legal fees for her constructive dismissal case.

Earlier this year, English took Sugar (pictured) to court claiming her Apprentice prize job at reseller Viglen was a sham, and that she was just an "overpaid lackey" with no real duties. She lost the case, which Sugar claimed was an abuse of the tribuanl system and an attempt to get her hands on his cash.

Following the case, the boss of Viglen-owner Amshold launched a counterclaim against English, which she won yesterday. An East London Tribunal Service panel ruled English should not have to repay any of the £50,000 legal fees involved in the case.

During the hearing she had claimed she had only £200 in her bank account and had been forced to apply for housing benefit and was considering signing up for Jobseeker's Allowance.

Her lawyer Henry Hendron said his client was over the moon with the result.

"[The tribunal] has gone further to state that she did not bring the claim against Lord Sugar's company motivated by malice or by bad intentions but she genuinely believed that she had a good case as advised by her then lawyers," he said.

"Ms English is now keen to put this saga behind her."