Meghan's Privacy Case Against Tabloid Heard at UK Court
LONDON - A preliminary hearing opened Friday at Britain's High
The couple announced in January they were quitting as senior royals, seeking financial independence and moving to North America.
Court in
the Duchess of Sussex's legal action against a British newspaper that
published what she describes as a "private and confidential" letter she
wrote to her father.
Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated
Newspapers, for publishing parts of an August 2018 letter she wrote to
Thomas Markle. The civil lawsuit accuses the newspaper of copyright
infringement, misuse of private information and violating the U.K.'s
data protection law.
Associated Newspapers published sections of the letter in February last
year. It denies the allegations — particularly the claim that the letter
was presented in a way that changed its meaning.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers want the court to strike out parts of Meghan's case ahead of a full trial, arguing that allegations of "dishonesty and malicious intent" should not form part of her case.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers want the court to strike out parts of Meghan's case ahead of a full trial, arguing that allegations of "dishonesty and malicious intent" should not form part of her case.
As the hearing opened via video conferencing, Anthony White, a lawyer
representing the publisher, told the judge that lawyers for Meghan had
made "further assertions of improper, deliberate conduct," and that she
accused the publisher of "harassing, humiliating, manipulating and
exploiting" Thomas Markle.
White rejected the duchess's allegations that the publisher had
deliberately sought to "manufacture or stoke a family dispute for the
sake of having a good story or stories to publish." He said this was
"irrelevant to the claim for misuse of private information", and asked
the judge to strike out that allegation.
The lawyer also rejected Meghan's allegation that the publisher "acted
dishonestly" when deciding which parts of her letter to publish.
Harry and Meghan were expected to listen in to the part of the hearing conducted by her lawyers.
Thomas Markle's strained relationship with his daughter complicated Meghan's entry into the royal family.
Thomas Markle's strained relationship with his daughter complicated Meghan's entry into the royal family.
He had been due to walk Meghan down the aisle at her May 2018 wedding,
but pulled out at the last minute, citing heart problems. The former
television lighting director has given occasional interviews to the
media, complaining in December 2018 that he'd been "ghosted" by his
daughter after the wedding.
The letter was written three months after the royal wedding at Windsor Castle.
Analysts have compared the legal case to the late Princess Diana's lawsuit over photographs showing her exercising on gym equipment. The case was settled before it was to be heard.
Analysts have compared the legal case to the late Princess Diana's lawsuit over photographs showing her exercising on gym equipment. The case was settled before it was to be heard.
Harry has long had a difficult relationship with the press. When the
couple announced the legal action over the letter, he accused some
newspapers of a "ruthless campaign" against his wife and compared it to
how the press treated his mother Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car
crash in 1997.
Earlier this week the couple issued a strongly-worded letter announcing
they will no longer cooperate with several British tabloid newspapers
because of what they called "distorted, false or invasive" stories.
The couple said they won't "offer themselves up as currency for an economy of click bait and distortion."
The couple announced in January they were quitting as senior royals, seeking financial independence and moving to North America.
VOA
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