Newspaper’s lawyer: Duchess had no reason to expect privacy
A lawyer for the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper said Wednesday that the Duchess of Sussex had no reasonable expectation of privacy for a letter she sent to her estranged father after her marriage to Prince Harry.
Arguing against the duchess’ privacy-infringement claim in a London court, attorney Antony White said “it’s to be inferred that the letter was written and sent by the claimant with a view to it being disclosed to third parties and read by the public.” He said ex-employees of Meghan and Harry would be able to shed light on the creation of the letter when the case is tried.
The former Meghan Markle, 39, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday and on the MailOnline website, which published portions of a handwritten letter to her father, Thomas Markle, after her 2018 wedding to Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II.
Associated Newspapers is contesting the claim, and a full trial is due to be held in the autumn at the High Court. In hearings this week the duchess is seeking a summary judgment that would find in her favor and dismiss the newspaper’s defense case without a trial.
Meghan’s lawyer, Justin Rushbrooke, argued Tues
day that the publisher had “no real prospect” of winning because “it’s a very straightforward case about the unlawful publication of a private letter.”
Rushbrooke said Meghan’s five-page letter, sent in August 2018, was “a message of peace” intended for her father alone.
But the defense argues
Meghan wrote the letter as part of a media strategy to rebut a negative view conveyed by her father, and with help from the communications team in the royal couple’s Kensington Palace office.
‘That ’70s Show’ actor pleads not guilty
An attorney for “That ’ 70s Show” actor Danny Masterson pleaded not guilty on his behalf Wednesday to the rapes of three women in the early 2000s. Defense lawyer Tom Mesereau entered the plea for Masterson, who was not present in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The frequently delayed hearing coincided with the
inauguration in Washington of President-elect Joe Biden, resulting in far less media attention than Masterson’s initial court appearance in June. His arraignment has been postponed several times.
Prosecutors have alleged that Masterson, 44, who has been free on bond since his June 17 arrest, raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28year-old woman in April 2003, and a 23-year-old woman between October and December 2003. All of the alleged rapes happened at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.