The High Court in London has ruled that Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other prominent British figures will be able to proceed with their lawsuit against Associated Newspapers (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.
According to The New Daily the group alleges widespread unlawful behavior, including phone hacking and serious privacy breaches by ANL, claims that date back over 30 years.
ANL had attempted to dismiss the case during hearings in March, arguing that the claims were beyond the six-year legal time limit for such actions. However, the court has decided that the case warrants a trial.
Judge Matthew Nicklin, in his ruling, stated,
“I consider that each claimant has a real prospect of demonstrating concealment by Associated that was not – and could not with reasonable diligence have been – discovered by the relevant claimant before October 2016.”
This statement indicates that the judge believes the claimants have a significant chance of proving that ANL concealed its alleged unlawful practices, which were not and could not have been discovered by the claimants until a later date.
ANL has consistently denied any involvement in unlawful activities. The decision to allow the trial to proceed marks a significant step in the legal battle against the publisher, highlighting the ongoing issue of privacy and media ethics in the UK.
