The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, achieved a partial victory in his phone hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group, get $180,000 in damages. Accusing the tabloid of more than 140 instances of illegal information gathering, he became the first British monarch in 130 years to testify in such a case.
According to reports, Justice Fancourt ruled Mirror Group played a minor role in his distress, providing a “moderate” amount. Despite this victory, Harry was ordered to pay £48,000 to Mail on Sunday for legal costs.
Prince Harry Gets $180,000 in Damages in Phone Hacking Lawsuit
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Harry recently won a partial victory in his legal confrontation with the British tabloid publisher, the Mirror Group, as the court awarded him $180,000 (£140,000) in damages for his phone hacking case.
In his claim, Duke claims that Mirror Group tabloid hacked his phone and engaged in illegal activities to dig up personal details for news, asserting more than 140 counts of illegal information gathering against him.
In the seven-week trial of the Mirror Group, Prince Harry became the first British monarch in 130 years to take the witness stand. He accused the tabloid of illegally obtaining information for stories published between 1995 and 2011. The trial examined 33 stories, determining that 15 of them stemmed from phone hacking or other illicit information gathering methods.
follow Hollywood ReporterJudge Timothy Fancourt, who presided over Harry’s case at Britain’s High Court, awarded the royal a total of $180,000 in damages, which is slightly more than half of the £320,000 he had asked for.
Judge Rules That Mirror Group ‘Played Only a Small Part’ in Illegal Activity
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The judge stated that Mirror Group “played only a minor role in all that Duke suffered” and “was not responsible for all the illegal activities directed at Duke and that much of the Press’s oppressive behavior against Duke over the years was not illegal at all.”
Fancourt stressed that the phone hacking was only one aspect, adding: “I think the phones were only hacked to a modest degree and this was probably carefully controlled by certain people at each newspaper.”
He continued: “There was a tendency for Duke in his evidence to assume that everything published was the result of voicemail interception because phone hacking was rampant in Mirror Group at that time. But phone hacking was not the only journalistic tool at the time, and his claims in relation to 18 other articles do not stand up to careful analysis.”
The judge concluded that the damages were intended to “fully compensate the Duke for the hardship he has suffered as a result of the illegal activities directed at him and those close to him.”
In a statement after the verdict, the Duke of Sussex said he was “delighted to have won this case.”
“I respectfully call on the authorities, the financial regulator, the police to do their job and investigate bringing charges against the Daily Mirror Group,” he added.
Prince Harry Will Pay Mail $61,000 In Legal Costs
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Victory against Mirror Group comes just days after a court ruling that Prince Harry must pay Mail on Sunday more than £48,000 ($61,000) in legal costs after an unsuccessful attempt to dismiss part of the newspaper’s defense in the libel case.
The seven-week trial shed light on questionable practices in British tabloids, involving former Mirror editor Piers Morgan in widespread phone hacking.
Prince Harry has additional lawsuits pending, including one against Rupert Murdoch News Group Newspapers and Related Newspapers over allegations of illegal information gathering, involving singer Elton John among seven high-profile accusers.
Prince Harry’s Legal Battle With UK Tabloids
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In his series of legal battles against UK tabloids, Harry has a pending lawsuit against him News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher Sun and which is now defunct World News.
In his defense, NGN tried to dismiss the case, arguing it should have been filed earlier, but Harry claimed he was holding back because of a “secret agreement” between the royal family and NGN. In July, the High Court ruled against the suit NGN on the alleged phone hacking, but the rest of Harry’s case continues, with a trial expected in early 2025.
The Duke of Sussex’s latest legal victory comes amid a spat with his family following the release of author Omid Scobie’s memoir, “Endgame.” The memoir has weighed heavily on Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle’s relationship with the Royal Family due to scathing claims made in the book by Scobie.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
