Prince Harry's bid to amend his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid newspapers has been rejected by the London High Cou...
Prince Harry's bid to amend his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid newspapers has been rejected by the London High Court.
The prince, along with over 40 others, is suing News Group Newspapers over allegations of unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators for The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s.
In March, Harry had sought to add new allegations to his lawsuit, including claims that The Sun had ordered private investigators to target his then-girlfriend, now-wife Meghan, back in 2016.
However, in a ruling on Tuesday, Judge Timothy Fancourt refused to allow Harry to extend the timeframe of his claim or include allegations dating back to 1994-1995 involving his late mother, Princess Diana.
The judge also rejected an application from Harry and the other claimants to include allegations that media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 93, had knowingly provided false evidence about his knowledge of phone hacking and other unlawful acts, and was personally involved in a cover-up.
And the claimants were permitted to amend their case to bring more details of alleged lies by News Group Newspapers to a public inquiry.
In his written ruling, Fancourt stated that those pursuing the lawsuits against News Group Newspapers couldn't resist "adding more and more details" that were of great interest to journalists but didn't add any weight to the evidence.
He also said there appeared to be "a desire on the part of those running the litigation on the claimant side to shoot at trophy targets."
A spokesperson for News Group Newspapers said the court had "thoroughly vindicated" their position, while the claimants stated they were pleased the judge allowed them to amend the case on a number of significant issues.
Meanwhile, outspoken TV presenter Piers Morgan mocked Prince Harry over the failed bid, writing on Twitter: "Exactly what I told Laura Kuenssberg at the weekend - the gormless little twerp just throws my name in to get media attention and judges are now seeing through his game."
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