Trial delayed after Prince Harry and The Sun publisher enter settlement negotiations
The opening day of an 8-week phone hacking trial at the High Court has now been pushed back to tomorrow following multiple requests for delays from the parties to allow settlement negotiations to take place.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and ex-Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson of Wyre Forest are suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Sun and the News of the World, alleging they were illegally targeted in order to obtain their private information. Lord Watson is also alleging he was a victim of voicemail interception, commonly referred to as “phone hacking”.
Phone hacking trial settlement claims
Although it is estimated over 1,300 cases have been brought against NGN, all such claims have settled out of court and there has not yet been a trial against the newspaper group, owned by Rupert Murdoch, until the one due to take place today. NGN has previously denied unlawful activity took place at The Sun.
Notably, the actor Hugh Grant settled his own privacy case against NGN last year, alleging that journalists had used private investigators to monitor his phone and burgle his house. NGN denied the allegations against it. In accepting the settlement, Grant explained that he “did not want to accept” NGN’s offer but continuing to fight the case risked making him liable for substantial legal costs even if he won in Court
Similarly, the Duke of Sussex vowed to take his own case to trial in order to hold NGN to account for the alleged illegal activity taking place at both the News of the World and The Sun.
Unexpected Delays
The trial was scheduled to commence this morning, but proceedings were delayed after both David Sherborne, appearing for Prince Harry and Lord Watson, and Anthony Hudson KC, appearing for NGN, requested more time for settlement negotiations to take place.
However after granting two adjournments, Mr Justice Fancourt rejected the third request for more time and stated that he could see no reason why the trial could not proceed. In doing so, he acknowledged that he could not prevent the two sides from going to the Court of Appeal to appeal the decision. In appealing the decision, therefore, the parties have achieved their mutual aim of postponing the trial until tomorrow morning.
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Taylor Hampton has been involved in the phone hacking trial litigation since its inception and has represented numerous Claimants in their claims against NGN and other publishers. For more information about Taylor Hampton’s media practice, see here or contact +442074275970 enquiries@taylorhampton.co.uk