June 27th 2024.
A lawyer representing the publisher of The Sun, one of Britain's largest tabloids, has accused Prince Harry of engaging in deceptive behavior by intentionally destroying evidence in a lawsuit against the newspaper. The lawsuit alleges that The Sun violated Harry's privacy by illegally snooping on him.
During a hearing at the High Court, attorney Anthony Hudson stated that the Duke of Sussex had deliberately deleted text messages with the ghostwriter of his bestselling memoir, Spare. This action has been described as "shocking" and "extraordinary" by Hudson.
However, Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, argued that The Sun's request for documents was a "fishing expedition" and that they should have asked for them much earlier, as the trial is scheduled for January. Sherborne also stated that Harry had already made extensive efforts to search for and provide relevant documents, going above and beyond his legal obligations.
Hudson countered by claiming that Harry had created obstacles in the process of obtaining documents from his former lawyer and staff while he was still a working member of the royal family. He argued that if Harry truly wanted the documents, he would have been able to obtain them from his former solicitors or from the royal household.
This hearing is just one part of Harry's ongoing legal battles against some of Britain's largest tabloids, including The Sun. These lawsuits allege that the tabloids engaged in illegal activities such as phone hacking and hiring private investigators to gather confidential information on Harry.
The larger case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the parent company of The Sun, involves dozens of claimants, including actor Hugh Grant. They allege that between 1994 and 2016, NGN journalists violated their privacy through a range of unlawful actions, including intercepting voicemails and tapping phones.
The litigation stems from a phone hacking scandal that erupted at NGN's now-defunct newspaper, News of the World, in 2011. The company has settled over 1,300 claims from victims of phone hacking, but The Sun has never accepted liability for any wrongdoing.
Recently, the judge in the case ruled that Harry could not expand his lawsuit to include allegations against Rupert Murdoch, who was an executive at NGN at the time of the scandal. This ruling came after NGN issued an apology to victims of phone hacking in 2011 and settled numerous claims.
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