This archive report was first published on 6 August 2020.
On August 6, 2020, a senior judge, Mr Justice Warby, delivered a verdict in the ongoing 10-month legal battle between Meghan Markle and Associated Newspapers.
While the ruling was a victory for Meghan, with the judge granting her an injunction to protect the identities of her five friends who spoke out against bullying in a 2019 article, he also criticised both parties for their public spat.
Mr Justice Warby described the situation as a 'tit-for-tat' PR battle, with both sides eager to play out the merits of their dispute in public, primarily through media reports.
He warned both parties that the case would be a judge-alone trial, not a trial by jury, and that fighting proceedings in court and through litigation PR or sensational reporting at the same time was not designed to enhance understanding of the legal process.
The judge also expressed concern about the coverage of the case, saying it had selectively highlighted aspects of the defendant's case and features of the claimant's case that were novel and interesting to the public.
Meghan Markle is suing Associated Newspapers over its publication of a 'private' letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018.
The duchess, 39, denies a claim made by ANL that she 'caused or permitted' the article to be published, and is seeking damages for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement, and breach of the Data Protection Act.
ANL wholly denies the allegations, particularly the duchess's claim that the letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.
