Former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan is now facing possible bankruptcy after a long-running, multi-million-pound legal dispute with his brother. The 49-year-old has been served with a bankruptcy petition for failing to pay a five-figure debt linked to a family conflict that previously resulted in his older brother, Sean, being declared bankrupt in 2019.
Finnan — part of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League–winning side and a member of the Republic of Ireland squad at the 2002 World Cup — has spent nearly a decade entangled in legal battles. The troubles began after he sued his brother over a collapsed property deal. Although Finnan won £4 million in a High Court ruling in 2018, Sean did not pay, leading Finnan to have him made bankrupt the following year.
Since then, the former full-back has become involved in further disputes, including a series of actions against his own solicitors. One case saw him attempt to have a Charles Russell Speechlys lawyer imprisoned for contempt of court as part of an unsuccessful £6 million negligence claim against the firm. That effort failed, and Finnan was ordered to pay a costs bill running into five figures — a debt he has not settled, prompting the bankruptcy petition at Central London County Court.
Earlier this month, the case came before the High Court, where Finnan sought to challenge previous rulings relating to the bankruptcy proceedings. His appeal was dismissed, with Mr Justice Mellor criticising it as “hopeless” and accusing Finnan of simply trying to delay the process. “I form the strong view that this appeal simply amounts to an attempt on his part to delay the final hearing of this petition for as long as possible,” the judge said.
Finnan also became embroiled in a separate legal row with another law firm, Candey Ltd, after contesting its fees — a dispute he also lost. The debt at the core of the bankruptcy threat stems from the failed contempt-of-court action involving Charles Russell Speechlys.
The bankruptcy petition has since been transferred to Central London County Court, where District Judge Carla Revere issued a series of directions and orders concerning the case in June.