Revealed: Barnett's legal battle with GB Olympians

After John Regis and Jennifer Stoute and found offensive texts, a settlement followed

- Matt Hughes

A high-court claim that had pitted the leading sports agent Jonathan Barnett against his former business partners, the Olympic medallists John Regis and Jennifer Stoute, was withdrawn after an extraordinary three-year legal battle.

A partnership of which Barnett was a member, the sports agency Stellar Athletics LLP, pursued a claim against Regis and Stoute for £1.2m after they left in 2021. It was settled by the parent company, CAA Stellar, in April 2024, shortly after Barnett himself resigned from the company.

Speaking about the matter for the first time, Stoute described the case as “three years of torture”.

Stellar Athletics LLP, in court documents signed by Barnett, claimed it was owed £952,000 by Regis and Stoute for money they were alleged to have taken in excess of their profit share to cover costs incurred while working for the company for 20 years, plus around £300,000 in damages after the pair left and set up a rival agency, Astra Partners.

The Guardian can reveal the settlement was reached after Regis and Stoute found dozens of racist, sexist and homophobic text messages allegedly sent by other figures in sport to a phone number registered to Barnett. There is no suggestion Barnett sent or supported such messages himself.

The messages included dozens of offensive messages apparently sent to Barnett featuring supposed jokes about Africans, Muslims, Mexicans, Chinese and gay people, as well as one about wife beating.

Contacted by the Guardian, neither Barnett nor CAA Stellar commented on any aspect of the case or the reasons for the settlement.