The court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Prince Harry and Elton John against the Daily Mail
A London High Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other high-profile plaintiffs against the publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd, which owns the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline.
The plaintiffs accused the publisher of having its journalists allegedly gather information illegally for nearly two decades. Among the allegations were phone hacking, tapping landlines, using private investigators, installing surveillance devices, and bribing police officers.
However, the judge concluded that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the material for the publications had been obtained illegally. The court also noted that the mere presence of private or confidential information in the articles does not constitute proof of a violation of the law if there were lawful means of obtaining it.
Actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, David Furnish, Dorin Lawrence, and former British politician Simon Hughes were also involved in the case. They provided the court with 55 publications which, in their view, confirmed the systematic use of illegal methods of gathering information.
Representatives of Associated Newspapers Ltd denied all allegations from the outset, stating that journalists obtained the information legally—through official representatives, open sources, or people close to public figures.
The company called the court’s decision a “convincing victory” for the Daily Mail and its journalists, emphasizing that no credible evidence of illegal activity had been presented during the trial. According to estimates by British media outlets, legal costs in this case could reach 50 million pounds.
Source: The Guardian.
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