LONDON (AP) — A British judge has ruled that a newspaper invaded the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy by publishing a personal letter to her estranged father.
Judge Mark Warby said Thursday that Associated Newspapers misused the former Meghan Markle's private information because she “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private."
A trial in the case had been scheduled for the fall. The duchess' lawyers had asked for a summary judgment instead to settle the case, which the judge granted.
However, the judge did add that a “limited trial” should be held to decide the “minor issue of whether Meghan was the “sole author” and lone copyright holder of the letter.
The judge's ruling is a victory for Meghan, who sued for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday and on the MailOnline website.
The five articles reproduced parts of the duchess’ handwritten letter that she to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, after marrying Prince Harry, NBC News reports.