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LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry, singer Elton John and other high-profile claimants face paying millions of dollars out of their own pockets to cover the legal costs of the Daily Mail’s publisher after a judge ruled their failed privacy lawsuits were conducted in an unreasonable way.
Judge Matthew Nicklin’s judgement on costs, which was published on Friday, ordered an interim payment from the claimants of 9.54 million pounds, due by Aug 28, towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers.
In a further damaging blow, Nicklin said the additional costs should be paid on an “indemnity basis”, meaning Associated does not need to show they were reasonable and proportionate.
Last month, Nicklin comprehensively rejected the case brought by King Charles’s younger son, Elton John and five other figures, rejecting allegations that the Mail had engaged in widespread unlawful activities, such as phone hacking.
