The British courts ruled on Friday, in favor of Prince Harry in his lawsuit against the Daily Mirror. The sentence requires the tabloid media to pay a compensation of $179265.70 (£140600) for the articles written thanks to the hacking of the royal's cell phone. This is the first judgment in more than 120 years involving a member of the British royal family.
According to the judgment, 15 of the 33 articles brought before the judge, and admitted in the complaint, were based on illegally obtained content. At the center of the case is a mobile terminal belonging to Prince Harry that suffered a computer attack.
However, the judge found that not all of the sources the Daily Mirror made use of were illegal, despite the belief that led Prince Harry to report as many as 33 newspaper articles. The judge highlighted the state of stress Harry suffered as a result of the leaks and tabloid content.
Through his lawyer, Harry applauded the ruling by the British judiciary and called it a warning to the tabloid press and other potential new actions such as the one already condemned. "This is not just a case of piracy: it involves a systemic practice of illegal and abhorrent behavior, followed by cover-up and destruction of evidence," said the statement from the lawyer, David Sherbone.
