Meghan Markle’s legal team returns to high court in bid to stop privacy claim going to trial

The Duchess of Sussex will find out if her privacy claim against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL) will be decided without a High Court trial as her lawyers return to the courtroom.

In a remote hearing on Tuesday, the court is due to hear an application for summary judgment – a legal step which would see the case resolved without a trial – when Meghan’s legal team will argue that ANL’s defence has no prospect of succeeding at a trial.

If successful, the case will then be closed, negating the need for a full trial.

 

LISTEN: Archie makes adorable cameo on Harry and Meghan’s podcast series

Meghan, 39, is suing Associated Newspapers (ANL), publisher of the Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, over articles from February 2019, which featured parts of a “private and confidential” letter from the Duchess to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018.

The Duchess’ full claim was due to be heard at the High Court this month, but last year the case was adjourned until autumn 2021 for a “confidential” reason.

MORE: 7 facts from Meghan Markle’s High Court privacy case

MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: key moments as they mark one year since leaving royal life

Finding Freedom was published in August 2020

A judge ruled in September that the Mail On Sunday can rely on a recent royal biography Finding Freedom in its defence to Meghan’s privacy claim.

The Duchess subsequently lost the bid to appeal such an inclusion during a hearing in October.

However, the publisher’s attempts to name five of Meghan’s friends who gave an anonymous interview to People magazine – which ANL says brought the letter to her father into the public domain – was dismissed last August.

The remote hearing before Mr Justice Warby, which is expected to last two days, begins at 10.30am on Tuesday.

Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.

Source: Read Full Article

Previous post Joan Collins, 87, calls police as she wakes to find maskless men on balcony of home
Next post Uganda accuses US of trying to 'subvert' elections after ambassador blocked from visiting Wine's home: report