U.K-based publisher Associated Newspapers, which owns publications including The Daily Mail and The Mail On Sunday, has lost its appeal to overturn a High Court ruling.
In February this year, Lord Justice of Appeal, Mark Warby, ruled in Markle's favour that the Associated Newspapers infringed on the Duchess’ privacy by publishing private letters written by her father, Thomas Markle, without her consent.
After a judicial appeal, the Court of Appeals upheld their ruling against the publication, dismissing the case entirely.
As per reports from NBC, Senior Judge Geoffrey Vos ruled “the contents of the letter were personal, private and not matters of legitimate public interest”.
“The judge [Warby] had correctly decided that, whilst it might have been proportionate to publish a very small part of the letter for that purpose, it was not necessary to publish half the contents of the letter as ANL had done,” Vos commented.
The initial ruling, and consequent dismissing of the appeal was a precedent-setting decision for the Royal family, with members of the monarchy, particularly Markle, perpetually targeted by tabloids.
Since the overruling, Markle has released a personal essay, publicly commenting on the victory for the first time.
The personal statement was incredibly poignant, touching on what the ruling means to her and how this is a step forward to “reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create”.
The full statement reads:
“This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right. While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.
"From day one, I have treated this lawsuit as an important measure of right versus wrong. The defendant has treated it as a game with no rules. The longer they dragged it out, the more they could twist facts and manipulate the public (even during the appeal itself), making a straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted in order to generate more headlines and sell more newspapers—a model that rewards chaos above truth. In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks.
"Today, the courts ruled in my favor—again—cementing that The Mail on Sunday, owned by Lord Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law. The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it’s not. Tomorrow it could be you. These harmful practices don’t happen once in a blue moon—they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better.”
Considering the abuse the tabloids flung at Markle, we’re hoping that this ruling, and statement, makes them sit up and pay attention.
