West News Wire: Thursday saw Prince Harry return to court in London as his attorney battled to maintain the viability of his phone hacking case against a British tabloid publisher.
Following a four-day High Court hearing on his claim of invasion of privacy against the company that distributes The Daily Mail, The Duke of Sussex showed up after lunch. His presence throughout the three days of the legal wrangling demonstrates the significance of the case in the prince’s larger conflict with the British press.
Seven individuals, including Harry, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost, are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. on the grounds that the company allegedly hired private detectives to secretly bug residences, vehicles, and record phone calls.
The publisher denied the allegations and has argued that lawsuits based on alleged incidents dating as far back as 1993 should be thrown out because the cases were not filed within a six-year limitation period.
Attorney David Sherborne, who represents Harry and the other famous claimants, argued that the deadline for filing the lawsuits should be extended because the snooping was covert and the publisher concealed evidence of it through denials “likely to lead the claimants off the scent.”
The judge is expected to rule at a later date.
