Prince Harry, Elton John ordered to pay nearly $13 million in Daily Mail lawsuit
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
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Outcome reported
- Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other celebrities must pay nearly $13 million in initial damages to the Daily Mail's publisher after losing a phone hacking lawsuit.
- The celebrities failed to prove the tabloid intercepted voicemails or phone calls for about 50 articles published between 1993 and 2018.
- The publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, sought damages to cover its legal costs, which it claims total $47 million.
A British court has ordered Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, and five other celebrities to pay an initial sum of £9.5 million (nearly $13 million) to the publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), following their defeat in a phone hacking lawsuit. The ruling came after an 11-week trial where the seven claimants could not substantiate their allegations that the tabloid had unlawfully intercepted voicemails or phone conversations to gather information for approximately 50 articles published between 1993 and 2018.
The court ordered the claimants to make a provisional payment of £9,544,355 before August 28.
The High Court of London specified in its judgment that the claimants must make the provisional payment of £9,544,355 by August 28. This decision follows the court's July ruling that the claimants failed to prove their accusations, leading to the dismissal of their claims. ANL had argued that its journalists acted lawfully and relied on legitimate sources for their reporting.
The claimants failed to demonstrate the accusations they had presented. Therefore, the claims are dismissed.
The legal battle has now shifted to the financial repercussions for the claimants. ANL is seeking substantial damages to recoup a significant portion of the £34.5 million (approximately $47 million) it claims to have spent over the four years of the legal process. Prince Harry, who has been engaged in a protracted legal fight against Britain's tabloid press, described the verdict as "shocking" and "completely unjustified," calling it an "absolute and undeniable cover-up." For ANL, the ruling was hailed as a "crushing victory" for the Daily Mail and press freedom.
It is an absolute and undeniable cover-up, but sadly not entirely unexpected.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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