It’s been over a month since we received the latest update on Meghan Markle’s ongoing lawsuit with the media. However, it looks like things are slowing down because the trial was just postponed until fall 2021.
We learned on Thursday that the Duchess of Sussex’s lawyers were requesting that her privacy lawsuit against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday (Associated Newspapers Limited), which claimed breach of privacy and infringement of copyright after the publisher published a personal letter written to her father, be postponed.
Originally scheduled to begin at the High Court on January 11, 2021, Markle’s team asked the court to push back the date. They also pressed the judge for a summary judgment meaning that the case will not be heard by a jury.
According to Town & Country, the court granted the application, at least in regards to the trial start date. ITV's Chris Ship stated, “A new trial date is being arranged for the Autumn/Fall 2021.” However, it seems like that was the only issue the judge decided on at the moment. Ship also said that the summary judgement decision will be “heard at a later date.”
Last month, it was revealed that a new book on the couple, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, was being pulled into the lawsuit. Documents submitted to the court say that the publisher is alleging the duchess co-operated with the book’s authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand and is hoping to use this information as a possible defense.
Of course, the 39-year-old’s legal team filed their own responses to the court documents, asking the judge to dismiss the publisher’s attempt at a new defense, calling it “bad in law” and full of misinformation. Unfortunately, that request was refused.
So, while it looks like things might be slowing down a little bit for this lawsuit, there’s still a ton that needs to be unpacked and worked out. But don’t worry, we’ll be following all of the updates.