LONDON — A lawyer for Prince Harry asked a judge Monday to order the publisher of the Daily Mirror tabloid to pay nearly 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) for a portion of the legal fees incurred in proving that Mirror Group Newspapers invaded his privacy by hacking his phone and using illegal means to obtain scoops on him.
The Duke of Sussex was granted 140,000 pounds ($178,000) in damages last month after a judge determined that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror publications and that management covered it up.
The amount was a fraction of what he sought, but it was a significant triumph in his legal battle against the British media. It is only one of numerous claims he is pursuing against tabloid publishers after defying his family’s longstanding aversion to litigation and becoming the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court in over a century.
The Lawyer’s Of Prince Harry Seek $2.5 Million In Fees After Win In British Tabloid Phone Hacking Case
Harry, 39, King Charles III’s estranged younger son, is expected to return to court in the next year in similar cases against The Sun and Daily Mail publishers over allegations of illegal surveillance. Following an unfavourable preliminary verdict, he recently dismissed a libel suit against the Mail publisher.
The hearing on Monday was over legal fees for a trial in which Harry was one of four claimants, including two members of Britain’s longest-running TV soap opera, “Coronation Street,” who accused Mirror of hacking their phones and hiring private investigators to unlawfully gather information about their lives.
The judge determined that all four claimants’ privacy had been infringed, but he dismissed charges brought by actor Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman, the former wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse since they were submitted too late. He gave actor Michael Turner 31,000 pounds ($39,000).
Attorney David Sherborne claimed that his case was “overwhelmingly successful” and that his clients should be reimbursed for legal fees because Mirror “advanced a fundamentally dishonest case.”
Mirror Group’s attorney, Roger Mallalieu, contended that the company should only pay legal fees for the claims it lost. It stated that Sanderson and Wightman should pay MGN’s fees for losing their cases. He contended that Turner should only receive costs until Mirror offered a settlement that would have surpassed the amount he was awarded at trial and that he should pay their expenses afterwards.
The Lawyer’s Of Prince Harry Seek $2.5 Million In Fees After Win In British Tabloid Phone Hacking Case
Justice Timothy Fancourt suggested that he would rule at a later date.
The costs requested were primarily for the general claim that all claimants made against Mirror rather than for the undetermined legal expenses associated with preparing for and presenting Harry’s specific cases.
Fancourt determined that Mirror used illegal information collecting in 15 of the 33 newspaper pieces regarding Harry that were presented at trial. These articles were chosen as a representative sampling from almost 150 publications he claimed violated his privacy.
Sherborne requested that a trial be convened to address the remaining 115 articles. Mirror suggested in court papers that it had offered a confidential settlement offer to Harry.
Once those claims are determined, Harry will be able to seek extra legal fees.
Phone hacking by British newspapers dates back more than two decades, when unethical journalists called the numbers of royals, celebrities, politicians, and sports stars and, when asked to leave a message, entered default passcodes to eavesdrop on voicemails.
The Lawyer’s Of Prince Harry Seek $2.5 Million In Fees After Win In British Tabloid Phone Hacking Case
The practice exploded into a full-fledged controversy in 2011 when Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World was revealed to have intercepted letters from a murdered girl, relatives of fallen British servicemen and bombing victims. Murdoch closed the newspaper.
Newspapers were later shown to have utilised more intrusive methods, such as phone tapping, house bugging, and acquiring flight and medical records.
Mirror Group Newspapers stated that it has paid more than 100 million pounds ($128 million) in previous phone hacking lawsuits but denied wrongdoing in Harry’s case. It claimed to have obtained information about the prince through lawful reporting procedures.
SOURCE – (AP)
