Meghan Markle suing editors of Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail and MailOnline (file)
London:
A London judge agreed on Thursday to delay the trial phase of Meghan Markle’s high-profile trial against a group of UK newspapers for breach of privacy and copyright.
Judge Mark Warby said he had approved a request from lawyers for the Duchess of Sussex to adjourn the trial from January until “much later next year”.
The “main basis” for the delay was “a confidential motive”, he added after a private hearing at the High Court in London.
“The right decision in all the circumstances is to grant the adjournment request,” he said.
“This means that the trial date of January 11, 2021 will be set aside and the trial will be rescheduled for a new date in the fall.”
Meghan, who with her husband Prince Harry is waging an increasingly public war with some media, continues the editors of the Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail and MailOnline.
The former American television actress claims Associated Newspapers violated her privacy, data protection rights and copyright by posting extracts of correspondence with her former father, Thomas, before marrying Harry.
The High Court last month allowed the newspaper group to change its defense against the lawsuit, alleging the couple had cooperated in a recent book about their life together.
Associated accuses Meghan of giving authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand details of the letter to present her side of events in a more favorable light.
The news group also claims she wanted to use the handwritten letter “as part of a media strategy” and discussed it with royal communications officials before it was sent.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down from frontline royal duties in March for media intrusion, have denied being involved in the publication of the book ‘Finding Freedom’.
Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and son of heir to the throne, Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, have separately sued two other UK tabloid publishers for alleged phone hacking.
He and Meghan now live with their young son Archie in the United States, where they have established a charitable foundation.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
