NewzPrince Harry and six other public figures face paying up to £34.5m to the publisher of the Daily Mail after a High Court judge imposed an exceptional order for legal costs over their failed privacy case. The seven claimants, also including Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley, must pay an initial £9.54m by Friday of next week to Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The judge ruled that the case was a rare one in which the claimants should have to pay far in excess of the costs that had been agreed before trial, criticising how they presented their claims as “unreasonable to a high degree”.
On 7 July, Judge Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims of unlawful information-gathering, which ANL denied. The Duke of Sussex and the other six claimants have until 2 October to attempt to launch an appeal. Those other claimants are Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
They had insurance to cover up to £16.2m of Association Newspapers’ costs in the event of losing the case – but Friday’s ruling means the newspaper group could now try to recover up to the £34.5m that it said it had to spend to defend itself. This means the Duke and others could face a bill of some £18m. Justice Nicklin described the potential £34.5m payment to ANL as “excessive”, suggesting the costs for the group will not rise to that extent.
The judge said: “I regard a claim for costs in excess of £34 million as, on its face, excessive and as giving rise to real concerns as to whether all of the costs now claimed by Associated were reasonably incurred and are reasonable in amount.” But he added he had “decided not to impose a ceiling on Associated’s recoverable costs”, as it would “be too broad brushed, would risk unfairness, and would be vulnerable to the charge that it was arbitrary”. He added it was “striking” that “not a single allegation of serious wrongdoing was voluntarily withdrawn” by the group of seven claimants. Serious allegations of criminality or grave impropriety cannot properly be left hanging over individuals in that way.
“If a party no longer advances such an allegation, or no lon… Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) to the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper following their failed invasion of privacy case. The claimants lost a High Court case in London last month during which they had alleged malpractice, such as the illegal hacking of phones, on the part of Associated Newspapers.
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) to the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper following their failed invasion of privacy case — and could face an additional 25 million pounds in legal costs.In a judgment Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin said in a written statement that the payment to Associated Newspapers Ltd. The payment is at the upper end of expectations and marks a vindication for the journalists at the Daily Mail and a defeat for the losing claimants and their lawyers.The claimants lost a High Court case in London last month during which they had alleged malpractice, such as the illegal hacking of phones, on the part of Associated Newspapers.The other high-profile figures behind the case were Doreen Lawrence, the anti‑racism activist whose son Stephen was stabbed to death in 1993 as he waited for a bus; Elton John’s film producer husband David Furnish; actors Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley; and politician Simon Hughes. Lawrence’s costs are expected to be covered by the others.In excoriating comments accompanying his award, Nicklin said “several features” were important in his decision, including the “speculative” nature of the claims and the failure of the claimants to “voluntarily” withdraw serious allegations that could no longer be backed up.“The conduct was unreasonable to a high degree,” he said.Claimants face additional 25-million-pound chargeThe publisher has said it incurred more than 34 million pounds during the case.
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