Prince Harry, Elton John and five other high-profile claimants have been ordered by the UK High Court to make an initial payment of about £9.54 million toward the legal costs of Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail.
The group had brought a privacy lawsuit against ANL, accusing the publisher of unlawful information-gathering. ANL strongly denied the allegations.
The case took a major turn in July when Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claim, ruling that the seven claimants had failed to establish the allegations they had made against the newspaper group.
The claimants have now been ordered to make the initial £9.54 million payment by August 28, although the final amount they may be required to pay could be substantially higher.
The seven claimants are Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
The judge allowed ANL to pursue its costs on an indemnity basis, a decision that could increase the amount the publisher is able to recover. ANL has indicated that its overall legal bill could reach as much as £34.5 million, although the judge described a claim of that size as excessive and said there were concerns about whether all the costs had been reasonably incurred.
The court nevertheless declined to place a fixed ceiling on the publisher’s recoverable costs, saying doing so could be unfair or arbitrary.
Justice Nicklin also criticised the claimants’ handling of some serious allegations made during the case. He said allegations of criminality or serious wrongdoing should be withdrawn when there is no longer sufficient evidence to support them.
The claimants have until October 2 to seek permission to appeal aspects of the judgment.
The ruling represents a significant legal setback for the group, while ANL has described the decision as a major victory for the publisher and its journalists.
Prince Harry and the other claimants have continued to dispute the outcome. Following the earlier judgment, Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence said they had gone to court seeking justice and accountability but believed they had received neither.
The latest costs ruling adds another financial dimension to the long-running dispute and leaves the final amount payable by the claimants to be determined at further hearings.
