Spice Girls lose court case

The Spice Girls have lost their $2,326,036 (Cdn) court case.

The Girls were being sued by an Italian scooter company, Aprilia, that was sponsoring their 1998 tour, the Press Association reports.

Aprilia claimed that when Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) left the group, the company lost money on marketing campaigns that included all five Spice Girls.

The Spice Girls had launched a claim against Aprilia too, claiming the company owed money but that case was dismissed.

During the court case, both Halliwell and Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) gave evidence to prove the four remaining group members had no idea that Halliwell planned to quit before they signed the sponsorship agreement with Aprilia.

But, Mrs. Justice Arden who presided over the trial said she felt the girls knew Halliwell was planning to leave in April 1998 and the sponsorship deal was only firmed up in May 1998, nme.com reports. She went on to say that the fact that all five group members took part in a photo shoot for the sponsorship agreement gave Aprilia no warning that Halliwell was planning to leave.

"We really don't care," Sporty Spice, Mel C said in an interview with BBC's Radio 1. "At the end of the day, we are in the right. We did not know Geri was going to leave. Hey ho, life goes on."

-- AllPop