Meghan Markle at the NYT DealBook Summit in November 2021.Photo: NYT DealBook Summit
Meghan Marklewill receive a symbolic £1 ($1.36) in damages from theMail on Sundayaftersuccessfully winning her legal caseagainst the paper for publishing a 2018 letter she sent to her father — but that’s not all.
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Meghan’s court win was less about a financial figure and more about what her victory represented. In a statement on Dec. 2 following the ruling, the Duchess of Sussex said, “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right.”
She noted, “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.”
Meghan continued, “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.”
In 2017,Taylor Swiftreceived a similarsymbolic $1 payoutafter a radio deejay groped her during a photo op. David Mueller sued Swift claiming she falsely accused him of groping her. He sought up to $3 million in damages. When Swift countersued, a federal jury in Denver, Colorado, ruled in Swift’s favor.
Taylor Swift.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
It was ruled in March that the publisher of theDaily MailandMail on Sundayshouldpay 90% of Meghan’s estimated $1.88 million legal expensesfor pursuing the 18-month-long case.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Dia Dipasupil/Getty
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“The Duchess of Sussex wins her legal case for copyright infringement against Associated Newspapers for articles published inThe Mail on Sundayand posted on Mail Online,” the front page notice read.
source: people.com
