Prince Harry and six other celebrity claimants have lost their years-long lawsuit. They might face hefty legal costs associated with the publisher of the Daily Mail.
The battle over legal costs is continuing even after the High Court dismissed the claims against the Daily Mail publisher
The high-profile celebrities, including Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Elton John, faced a judgement that went against their lawsuit. On July 7, the judge made his decision that the claimants had lost their case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
ANL is the publisher of the popular newspaper, The Daily Mail, and The Mail on Sunday. The lawsuit was filed against them in October 2022, claiming that the newspaper was publishing information that was unlawfully obtained. The case has been in court for years and now has a final judgement by an English High Court judge, Justice Nicklin, according to The People.
Soon after the judgement, ANL issued a statement. “Associated Newspapers thanks Mr Justice Nicklin for the patience and wisdom he has displayed throughout this misguided legal action, which has wasted so much valuable court time and more than £50 million in legal costs,” said ANL.
The total legal cost stated by ANL is estimated at $67 million, which the high-profile litigants might have to pay. The court hearing regarding ANL’s court costs is scheduled on July 29 and 30. However, it’s unclear whether the claimants will be responsible for the legal costs to be paid to the newspaper.
Though Prince Harry has not made any public comment, former Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes, who was one of the claimants, called it disappointing. According to the BBC, he said, “very disappointing for me, and I am sure for all other claimants.”
The judgement came after Justice Nicklin stated that the litigants failed to prove that the source of information was unlawful in the articles published by the newspaper.
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE JUDGEMENT AND THE RISK OF $67 MILLION.
