LOS ANGELES – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, filed an invasion of a privacy lawsuit against unidentified paparazzi on Thursday, accusing photographers of taking drastic steps to obtain images of the couple and their son at their California home.
The couple took action after the paparazzi crossed a “red line” by trying to sell a photo that photographers say was taken at a 14-month-old store in Malibu by Archie, according to the lawsuit filed in the County Superior Court. of the Angels. . The photos were clearly from the couple’s backyard, as Archie hadn’t been out in months, the lawsuit from Harry and Meghan claimed.
“The unscrupulous people who buy these photos have not innocently mislabeled the photos as being taken in a public place,” the lawsuit said. “They have done it on purpose, because they know that unsolicited photographs of a young child in the privacy of their own home are very illegal.”
The defendants in the lawsuit have no name because the couple does not know them and could include photographers and businesses that could have induced or facilitated the purchase of the photos.
Harry and Meghan allege in the lawsuit that the photographers have been relentless in their attempt to obtain family photos since they left England this spring, and particularly after their locations in Canada and Los Angeles were released this year.
Photographers have allegedly cut holes in his fence and have flown helicopters and drones over the house in an attempt to obtain photographs, according to the lawsuit. Michael Kump, the couple’s attorney, said in a statement to NBC News that the couple have the same right to privacy under the law as any California resident.
“No drone, helicopter or telephoto lens can take away that right,” said Kump. “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 asks the court to compel unidentified defendants to turn over each and every photo taken while violating the “reasonable” right to privacy, including those of Harry and Meghan’s son, as well as monetary damages.
Harry and Meghan have filed two lawsuits in the UK in the past year, one against Associated Papers and one against News Group Newspapers.
The couple last filed a lawsuit against Associated Papers, the parent company of The Mail on Sunday, after the newspaper published a private letter written by Meghan to her father. Harry and Meghan accused the company of intentionally editing entire paragraphs to manipulate readers.
A judge rejected parts of Meghan’s claim against the Associated Papers in May, including the claim that The Mail on Sunday deliberately “sparked” problems with her father by publishing the letter and that she acted “dishonestly” by omitting certain passages.
Harry also filed a lawsuit last year against News Group Newspapers, which owns The Sun, for alleged phone hacking involving illegally intercepting voicemail messages. The suit is still in progress.
Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles, and Doha Madani reported from New York City.
