UK court orders Prince Harry, six others to pay Daily Mail £9.5 million

Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures have been ordered by a UK court to pay an initial £9.5 million (US$13 million) in legal costs after their privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail failed. The group, which also includes Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, lost their claim of unlawful information gathering and privacy invasions against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).

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The claimants failed to prove their pleaded allegations.

The claimants accused ANL of allegedly bugging their cars and homes, eavesdropping on calls, and accessing private financial and medical records. ANL denied all allegations. After an 11-week trial, the judge ruled in favor of the publisher, stating the claimants "failed to prove their pleaded allegations."

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The Court ordered the claimants make an interim payment of £9,544,355 by 4pm local time on Aug 28.

Following a subsequent hearing on costs, the court mandated an interim payment of £9,544,355 by August 28. ANL had claimed its defense costs reached approximately £34.5 million, which the court acknowledged as "exceptionally high." While the judge questioned the reasonableness of ANL's full claim, he rejected the celebrities' request for costs to be paid on a standard basis. Instead, he favored ANL's argument for payment on a stricter "indemnity basis," which is expected to increase the portion of costs the seven individuals are liable for. The claimants have until October 2 to seek permission to appeal the July 7 decision.

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exceptionally high