A good friend that I had known for many years offered me a place on her birthday trip to Ireland and told me that I would have to pay for the accommodation (which I did upfront), a few fancy dress outfits and other expenses such as food and drinks etc on the trip.

I had to back out of the trip due to a family emergency. The friend then tells me that I now have to pay for the flight, which she previously said she was paying for, she is also trying to charge me for the outfits that I didn't receive and alcohol that she drunk on the way to the airport.

I do not think that I owe her any money. But she says that I owe her £70 and that she will take it to a higher authority, there was never any form of agreement, written or verbal about payments except for verbal agreements on the accommodation which I paid by the date she said.

Any advice? Does she have a case?

Thanks.

Don't know about the UK so this probably won't help you at all but in the US verbal agreements are binding if both parties benefit - it would be your word against hers.

(I find charging you for her alcohol on the trip to be very inventive! I think you should probably be glad you didn't take the trip. :D )

I would send her a certified letter stating what you think you both agreed to and then say you see no obligation to pay her. Sit back and wait to see if she takes you to court. If she mails you anything hold onto each document in case you are in court later on.

Thanks for your help, there was no verbal agreements about the things she wants me to pay for now, there was only a verbal agreement on the things I have already paid to her.

Let her take this further.
With NO agreement this ends up as your word against here's, verbal agreements of this type are meaningless in the UK, especially in Small Claims.

In exchange for an airline ticket your obligations were to pay for the accommodations, plus food and possibly some apparel.

Since you already paid for the accommodations your outstanding obligations are the food and apparel but only if your friend did not find someone else to take the trip with and who then may have been sadled with these obligations in your place.

On a personal note seventy pounds seems like too small a sum to lose a friend over but that may be a question for "Dear Abby."

So really you paid what you owed and if she couldn't get a refund on the ticket and couldn't find someone else - yeah you owe for that. But if you didn't get the clothes - you don't have to pay for them. That's how it is in Texas anyway - I guess this is where that phrase "mind your p's & q's) comes in.