A first bill of 9.54 million pounds, approximately 11.14 million euros, to be paid by August 28th. It is the new heavy consequence of the case lost by Prince Harry and six other public figures against Associated Newspapers Limited (Anl), publisher of Daily Mailthe Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. The High Court in London ordered the group to pay the sum as an advance on the publisher’s legal costs.
Who are the VIPs involved
Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence and Simon Hughes had sued with the Duke of Sussex. The seven accused the group’s publications of having illegally collected private information through practices that, according to their claims, included wiretaps, deception and private investigators. However, on 7 July Judge Matthew Nicklin rejected their applications: the High Court concluded that they had failed to prove that the information at the heart of the 97 disputed cases had been obtained illegally. The names of the seven appellants are also found in the High Court ruling.
Because the bill could exceed 40 million euros
Associated Newspapers had requested a provisional payment of almost 9.95 million pounds, approximately 11.62 million euros. The plaintiffs’ lawyers instead proposed 8 million pounds, approximately 9.34 million euros. Nicklin then came very close to the publisher’s request, setting the deposit at 9.54 million.
It is only the first tranche. Anl declared total costs of approximately 34.5 million pounds, equal to 40.3 million euros. The definitive amount to be reimbursed has not yet been established: if the parties do not reach an agreement, it will be determined with a subsequent procedure for the liquidation of expenses.
What makes the economic risk even more significant is the insurance coverage taken out by the appellants against the costs of the counterparty: according to what emerged in court it amounts to approximately 16.2 million pounds, 18.9 million euros. If Anl ultimately obtained the entire sum claimed, there would therefore be a theoretical difference of more than 18 million pounds, over 21 million euros. However, it does not mean that this will actually be the amount you will have to pay out of your own pocket: the final amount has yet to be determined and the sharing of the burden between the claimants also depends on existing agreements and coverage.
The judge’s harsh censure
Nicklin has ordered that part of the costs be calculated on a regime more favorable to the winning party. The judge criticized the way the case was conducted, noting that several allegations rested on speculative and deductive grounds. “The cumulative effect of these elements takes the case well outside the norm. The conduct was unreasonable to a high degree,” he wrote.
Associated Newspapers speaks of “another landslide victory for the Mail and its journalism”. For Harry, who in the past had obtained favorable results in other legal battles against the British tabloids, it is instead one of the most costly defeats of his long war against the popular press.