Prince Harry's Privacy Case Against Sun Publisher Moves Forward: High Court Rejects Preliminary Trial Request
A High Court judge has denied the Sun newspaper's request for a preliminary trial in their legal battle with Prince Harry over alleged unlawful information gathering.
The publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), had hoped the trial would help determine if 42 individuals, including Harry, could still sue for privacy breaches despite the claims usually needing to be made within six years.
However, the claimants argue that NGN hid evidence of phone hacking, preventing them from suing earlier.
The case continues.
A judge has denied the Sun newspaper's request for a preliminary trial in a phone hacking case, meaning the full trial will take place in January 2025.
The Sun, which is owned by News Group Newspapers (NGN), had hoped to win the case by showing that some claimants could have made their allegations years ago.
The judge believed NGN had a chance of succeeding in this argument but decided against a preliminary trial.
The Sun and NGN have previously denied any liability or admission to the phone hacking allegations.
A preliminary trial to resolve similar issues in multiple lawsuits was suggested to expedite the legal process and potentially lead to settlements.
However, Mr. Justice Fancourt expressed concerns about the complexity of selecting which cases to include, the potential increase in legal costs, and the delay it would cause to the full trial, which claimants have been awaiting since 2022.
However, the claimants argue that NGN hid evidence of phone hacking, preventing them from suing earlier.
The case continues.
A judge has denied the Sun newspaper's request for a preliminary trial in a phone hacking case, meaning the full trial will take place in January 2025.
The Sun, which is owned by News Group Newspapers (NGN), had hoped to win the case by showing that some claimants could have made their allegations years ago.
The judge believed NGN had a chance of succeeding in this argument but decided against a preliminary trial.
The Sun and NGN have previously denied any liability or admission to the phone hacking allegations.
A preliminary trial to resolve similar issues in multiple lawsuits was suggested to expedite the legal process and potentially lead to settlements.
However, Mr. Justice Fancourt expressed concerns about the complexity of selecting which cases to include, the potential increase in legal costs, and the delay it would cause to the full trial, which claimants have been awaiting since 2022.
