Meghan Markle's lawsuit (opens in new tab) against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline takes a dramatic turn today when a judge decides whether aspects of her privacy lawsuit can be resolved without going to trial Potential. The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Associated Press for misuse of personal information, copyright infringement, and violation of the Data Protection Act over the publication in 2019 of portions of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, the previous year.

At a remote High Court hearing last month, Meghan's lawyers asked Judge Warby to dismiss Associated Newspapers' defense and prevent a trial from taking place in a decision known as a "summary judgment" (opens in new tab). The Duchess of Sussex's lawyers said Associated Newspapers had "no prospect" of defending itself at trial, while the publisher's lawyers argued that the case was "wholly unsuitable for summary judgment."

Attorney Justin Rushbrook, representing the Duchess, said the August 2018 letter to Thomas Markle was "a heartfelt plea from a distressed daughter to her father" and argued that "the content and character of the letter was essentially private, personal and sensitive."

Lashbrook further stated that Dame Meghan "had a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to the contents of the letter," adding that it was self-evident that the publication of the letter "could be devastating to the claimant."

Attorney Antony White, representing Associated Newspapers, said that the Duchess wrote the letter to her father "with a view to its publication at some point in the future" and intended to refute "accusations that she is an uncaring, unloving daughter." He claimed. Noting that Meghan had consulted with palace staff, White continued, "A truly private letter from a daughter to her father does not require the input of the Kensington Palace communications team."

However, Lashbrook noted the private status of the Mail on Sunday article on Meghan's letter, adding that public interest in the letter was "going downhill." Lashbrook said, "By all accounts, the defendant has published far more by excerpts from the letter than could be justified in the public interest."

"Hello!" reports (opens in new tab), Judge Warby is scheduled to rule on Princess Meghan's request for summary judgment at 4 p.m. UK time today to decide whether to proceed to trial. The trial was originally scheduled to take place in January, but Meghan was granted a postponement until the fall of 2021 on the grounds of "confidentiality."