Meghal Markle loses latest round in court battle with Associated Newspapers


LOS ANGELES – Maxon Markle, Duchess of Sussex, lost the last round of her ongoing legal battle with the publishers of the UK’s Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Merkel sued the group for breach of confidentiality and copyright piracy, after publishing an excerpt of a 2018 letter sent to her father, Thomas Markle Sr., by mail on Sunday. ANL denies its claim.

Last week, the ANL petitioned the court to improve its defense and use the book “Finding Freedom” recently published by US-based journalists Omid Scooby and Caroline Durand, alleging that Markle provided information to the authors.

Markle’s lawyer, Justin Rushbrook, argued that “the claimant and her husband did not collaborate with the authors on the book, nor were they interviewed for it, nor did they provide photographs for the authors for the book,” and suggested that the book draw. On content published by ANL and other public domain sources.

On Tuesday, Judge Francesca Kaye allowed the ANL defense to use the book and denied Markle permission to appeal the verdict. Merkel’s lawyers have the option of taking Kaye’s decision to the Court of Appeal. Kaye said Scooby denied in a statement to the court that there was any collaboration from Markle over the book.

Referring to Scooby’s statement, Kaye said that what he didn’t say could prove to be more significant at the hearing. “If, as indicated, it is home to all the cards, it will quickly come down at trial time.”

The case is set to be heard in January, 2021.

Markle and her husband Prince Harry are constantly in the news. On Monday, a spokesman for the couple denied a report in the UK’s tabloid The Sun that suggested they would take part in a “fly-the-not-the-wall” reality show.