Prince Harry's legal battle against British tabloid publishers continues, as his lawyer has asked a judge to order the publisher of the Daily Mirror to pay nearly 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) for a portion of the legal fees incurred in proving that his privacy was invaded by phone hacking and unlawful methods used to gather information about him.
Last month, Prince Harry was awarded 140,000 pounds ($178,000) in damages after the judge found that phone hacking was 'widespread and habitual' at Mirror Group Newspapers, with executives at the newspapers covering it up. While the sum awarded was significantly lower than what he sought, it marked a significant victory in his ongoing fight against the British media. This case against the Daily Mirror is just one of several he has pending against tabloid publishers, as he takes a stand against the invasion of his privacy.
Prince Harry's legal battles have seen him defy his family's long-held aversion to litigation. In June, he became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court in over a century. The Duke of Sussex, aged 39, is expected to return to court in the coming year for similar trials against The Sun and Daily Mail publishers, where he alleges unlawful snooping. Recently, he dropped a libel case against the Mail publisher after an unfavorable pretrial ruling.
The hearing held on Monday was focused on determining the legal fees for a trial that involved Prince Harry as one of four claimants. Alongside him were two members of the long-running TV soap opera, 'Coronation Street,' who accused the Mirror of hacking their phones and employing private investigators to unlawfully gather information about their lives. While the judge ruled in favor of all four claimants, he dismissed cases brought by actor Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman, the former wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, as they were filed too late. Actor Michael Turner was awarded 31,000 pounds ($39,000).
Prince Harry's attorney, David Sherborne, argued that their case was 'overwhelmingly successful' and claimed that the Mirror Group had presented a dishonest defense. Consequently, Sherborne demanded that his clients be reimbursed for their legal fees. On the other hand, attorney Roger Mallalieu, representing Mirror Group, argued that they should only be liable for the legal fees related to the portions of the claims they lost. Mallalieu contended that Sanderson and Wightman should pay Mirror Group's costs for losing their cases. Furthermore, he suggested that Turner should only receive costs up to the point at which the Mirror offered a settlement that exceeded his trial award, with Turner being responsible for their costs thereafter.
Justice Timothy Fancourt has yet to render his verdict, delaying the decision until a later date. The fees being sought primarily concern the broader claim brought against the Mirror by all the claimants and not the legal costs related to preparing and presenting Prince Harry's specific cases, as they have not been fully resolved yet.
During the trial, Fancourt found that the Mirror had employed unlawful means to gather information in 15 out of 33 newspaper articles about Prince Harry that were examined. These articles were selected as a representative sample from the nearly 150 articles that were deemed to invade his privacy. Sherborne pressed for a trial to be scheduled to address the remaining 115 articles, while Mirror Group indicated in court documents that it has made a settlement offer to Prince Harry, the details of which remain undisclosed. Once these outstanding claims are resolved, Prince Harry will be eligible to seek additional lawyers' fees.
Phone hacking by British newspapers originated over two decades ago, when unethical journalists resorted to dialing the phone numbers of royals, celebrities, politicians, and sports stars. They would then use default passcodes to access voicemails once prompted to leave a message. The practice came to light as a scandal in 2011 when Rupert Murdoch's News of the World was exposed for intercepting messages from a murdered girl, the families of deceased British soldiers, and victims of a bombing. Murdoch subsequently closed the publication. Further investigations revealed that newspapers had engaged in more intrusive methods such as phone tapping, home bugging, and obtaining flight information and medical records.
Mirror Group Newspapers revealed that it has already paid over 100 million pounds ($128 million) in phone hacking lawsuit settlements over the years. However, the publisher denies any wrongdoing in Prince Harry's case, claiming that it used legitimate reporting methods to gather information about the prince.
Prince Harry's legal crusade against the British media continues to make headlines and signifies his determination to protect his privacy. As the legal battles progress, the repercussions for the tabloid industry and the broader conversation surrounding media ethics and press freedom are set to endure.
