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Thomas Markle does not appear to be an important witness in the London court battle that pitted his daughter Meghan, the British royalty, against a tabloid newspaper, so he does not need to present evidence in person, the judge overseeing the case said Wednesday.
Meghan, the wife of Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Prince Harry, is suing Associated Newspapers over articles in the Mail on Sunday that included parts of a handwritten letter she had sent to her estranged father in August 2018.
His lawyers say that the publication of the letter to his father was a misuse of private information and violated his copyright. They look for aggravated damages.
The case had raised the possibility of Markle testifying in court against her daughter, whom she has not seen since a fight on the eve of her glittering wedding to Harry in 2018, which she lost due to poor health and after who admitted that he posed for her. paparazzi images.
In his letter written months later, he expressed his hurt feelings for his actions, although the newspaper argues that it was an orchestrated part of an advertising campaign.
Last month, Judge Mark Warby granted Meghan’s legal team her request to delay the trial, which was due to begin in London High Court in January, until the fall of 2021.
In a sentence handed down on Wednesday, he gave a full explanation of that decision, although most of it was written as “private and confidential information.”
However, Warby did reference a witness statement from the newspaper’s legal director who described Markle as “an important witness.”
“It was not immediately clear to me why it was considered important,” Warby said. “It is not suggested that Mr. Markle’s evidence … is an essential component of the defense case.”
Warby said there was “no apparent impediment” for the newspaper’s attorneys to take a statement or other form of independently recorded statement from Markle in advance, or for him to present evidence via video link if he was unwell enough. like to travel.
The judge also added that Markle “(rightly) has not been informed on the confidential basis of the postponement request.”
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