London: prince harry fought to have his phone-hacking lawsuit withdrawn on Wednesday Rupert MurdochThe UK newspaper’s branch has sued London’s High Court to be allowed to rely on an alleged “secret agreement” between Britain’s royal family and the publisher.
King Charles’s younger son Harry accused Murdoch’s news group Newspapers (NGN) of a number of illegal acts from the mid-1990s to 2016 on behalf of its tabloids, The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. filed a lawsuit.
NGN, which has settled more than a thousand phone-hacking cases over the past decade, applied in April to dismiss Harry’s claim, arguing that it should have acted sooner.
Harry says he didn’t file a lawsuit until 2019 because of an agreement between the two Buckingham Palace And senior NGN officials asked to delay any trial by the royal family until the end of all other phone-hacking lawsuits brought against NGN. NGN has denied that any such agreement took place.
On Wednesday, Harry’s lawyers sought to rely on the purported settlement to thwart NGN’s attempt to dismiss his case and allow a hearing in January that would have involved a similar claim by British actor Hugh Grant.
Harry alleges that NGN journalists or private investigators working on his behalf illegally intercepted his voicemail messages, commonly known as phone-hacking, and fraudulently obtained phone bills and medical records. received personal information, which NGN denied.
David Sherborne, representing Harry, argued there was clear evidence of an agreement between the NGN and the royal family which meant Afflict was unable to bring his case before.
The fifth claimant to the throne said in a witness statement made public in April that the NGN settled his brother Prince William’s claim “for a large sum in 2020 … without telling the public”.
Buckingham Palace has not commented and William’s office previously said it could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. NGN declined to comment in April on whether it had entered into an agreement with William.
Harry also said that his efforts to pursue his case against NGN with the support of the late Queen Elizabeth had been thwarted by NGN and royal allies.
According to emails released in April, royal staff were in communication with Rebecca Brooks – now CEO of Murdoch’s British arm News UK – and News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson about Harry’s trial in 2017 and 2018.
Sherborne argued in court filings on Wednesday that the NGN had not provided any evidence from Brooks and Thomson “despite their evidence being identified as significant”.
NGN’s lawyers said it had not given evidence on behalf of Brooks and Thomson because they were not working at NGN in 2012 when the alleged settlement took place.
The publisher also argues that, even if there was a nondisclosure agreement between Buckingham Palace and the publisher, it would not be enforceable to the end of other phone-hacking claims.
Harry’s suit against NGN is one of four cases he is bringing against British newspaper publishers, including a similar claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in which he is seeking damages of around £440,000 ($560,000). Is asking for
When he testified at his MGN trial last month, he became the first senior British royal to appear in the witness box in more than 130 years.
King Charles’s younger son Harry accused Murdoch’s news group Newspapers (NGN) of a number of illegal acts from the mid-1990s to 2016 on behalf of its tabloids, The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World. filed a lawsuit.
NGN, which has settled more than a thousand phone-hacking cases over the past decade, applied in April to dismiss Harry’s claim, arguing that it should have acted sooner.
Harry says he didn’t file a lawsuit until 2019 because of an agreement between the two Buckingham Palace And senior NGN officials asked to delay any trial by the royal family until the end of all other phone-hacking lawsuits brought against NGN. NGN has denied that any such agreement took place.
On Wednesday, Harry’s lawyers sought to rely on the purported settlement to thwart NGN’s attempt to dismiss his case and allow a hearing in January that would have involved a similar claim by British actor Hugh Grant.
Harry alleges that NGN journalists or private investigators working on his behalf illegally intercepted his voicemail messages, commonly known as phone-hacking, and fraudulently obtained phone bills and medical records. received personal information, which NGN denied.
David Sherborne, representing Harry, argued there was clear evidence of an agreement between the NGN and the royal family which meant Afflict was unable to bring his case before.
The fifth claimant to the throne said in a witness statement made public in April that the NGN settled his brother Prince William’s claim “for a large sum in 2020 … without telling the public”.
Buckingham Palace has not commented and William’s office previously said it could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. NGN declined to comment in April on whether it had entered into an agreement with William.
Harry also said that his efforts to pursue his case against NGN with the support of the late Queen Elizabeth had been thwarted by NGN and royal allies.
According to emails released in April, royal staff were in communication with Rebecca Brooks – now CEO of Murdoch’s British arm News UK – and News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson about Harry’s trial in 2017 and 2018.
Sherborne argued in court filings on Wednesday that the NGN had not provided any evidence from Brooks and Thomson “despite their evidence being identified as significant”.
NGN’s lawyers said it had not given evidence on behalf of Brooks and Thomson because they were not working at NGN in 2012 when the alleged settlement took place.
The publisher also argues that, even if there was a nondisclosure agreement between Buckingham Palace and the publisher, it would not be enforceable to the end of other phone-hacking claims.
Harry’s suit against NGN is one of four cases he is bringing against British newspaper publishers, including a similar claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in which he is seeking damages of around £440,000 ($560,000). Is asking for
When he testified at his MGN trial last month, he became the first senior British royal to appear in the witness box in more than 130 years.