LONDON (AP) — A preliminary hearing opened Friday at Britain’s High Court in the Duchess of Sussex’s legal action against a British newspaper that published what she describes as a “private and confidential” letter she wrote to her father.
Meghan is suing the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, for publishing a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. The civil lawsuit accuses the newspaper of copyright infringement, misuse of private information and violating the U.K.’s data protection law.
Associated Newspapers denies the allegations — particularly the claim that the letter was presented in a way that changed its meaning. The company has said it intends to vigorously fight the case.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers will ask the court to strike out parts of Meghan’s case ahead of a full trial of the issues, arguing that allegations of “dishonesty and malicious intent” should not form part of her case.
As the hearing opened via video conferencing, Anthony White, a lawyer representing the publisher, told the judge that lawyers for Meghan had made “further assertions of improper, deliberate conduct,” and accused the publisher of “harassing, humiliating, manipulating and exploiting” Thomas Markle.