Harry and Meghan, the newly installed Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a gated community in Beverly Hills, have launched into the Los Angeles paparazzi with a lawsuit for harassment at home.
The complaint filed Thursday in the Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that unidentified people photographed their 14-month-old son Archie in his backyard while taking refuge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The invasion of the privacy lawsuit relies on California law to curb paparazzi, making photographing or filming anyone in their homes using drones or telephoto lenses illegal. Because the couple does not know who took the photos, the lawsuit targets unidentified defendants as a way to allow them to pursue, through subpoenas, anyone who sells the photos.
“All individuals and family members in California are guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home,” said Michael J. Kump, attorney and partner for the couple at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert LLP. “No drone, helicopter or telephoto lens can take away that right. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son’s right to privacy in their home without the intrusion of photographers, and to uncover and arrest those seeking to benefit from these illegal actions. “
The lawsuit depicts a life besieged by drones and photographers who follow the couple from country to country and now trained in their new home, with helicopters flying overhead and photographers punching holes in their security fences.
The royal couple said in their complaint that they are not seeking any special treatment, and they hope that the media will follow them when they are in public, but that they mark the limit of incursions into their home life.
The lawsuit, while not related to any other litigation, comes when Meghan Markle is suing a UK newspaper for publishing a letter she wrote to her father.
“The family has tried to ignore these physical and constructive violations as best they can. … But the plaintiffs recently learned that certain paparazzi and their facilitators have crossed a red line for any parent, “Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said in their lawsuit.” The plaintiffs they will not allow tabloids to break the law, especially when it comes to bullying, harassment and adding a very real security threat in addition to what already exists. “
All of the couple’s movements have been analyzed since their public departure from British real life as family members.
Harry and Meghan have abandoned previous plans for a foundation called Sussex Royal, and are instead already working on initiatives for a new charity that they have named Archewell.
They’ve been photographed in LA, delivering food for those in need earlier this year and working more recently to help promote LA’s nonprofit Homeboy Industries.
