The Duke of Sussex and Doreen Lawrence described the outcome as a 'complete and obvious whitewash'
The claims of the Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and four other prominent claimants are back at the High Court today for a two-day hearing to resolve outstanding matters stemming from their failed legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
The group of seven brought claims alleging unlawful information-gathering by the publisher of the Daily Mail, all of which were thrown out by Mr Justice Nicklin on July 7 in a comprehensive 436-page ruling.
Proceedings are scheduled to get under way at 10.30am and are expected to address questions around legal costs and whether any of the claimants intend to challenge the judgment through an appeal.
ANL has said its costs from the case have already surpassed £50million.
The case centred on 97 articles which the claimants argued had been obtained through illegal methods during an 11-week trial held in London earlier this year.
Dozens of witnesses took the stand over the course of proceedings, among them all seven high-profile figures as well as numerous serving and former journalists and executives from ANL.
Legal representatives for the claimants contended that private investigators, freelance contributors and ANL staff had engaged in practices such as intercepting voicemail messages, tapping landline telephones and acquiring information through deception, a technique commonly referred to as "blagging".
ANL vigorously contested the allegations throughout, maintaining that the articles in question were the product of entirely lawful journalistic practices.
The publisher's lawyers argued that Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday staff had offered a "compelling account of a pattern of legitimate sourcing of articles", pointing to friends and "leaky" social circles, press officers, spokespersons, prior reporting, freelance journalists and material from rival outlets and news agencies.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the claimants' central argument: "In substance, the claimants' case invites the court to conclude that, because the information was private and because Associated cannot positively explain how it was sourced, the article must have been unlawfully sourced. That is not a permissible approach."
The judge dismissed every claim brought by the group, delivering a total victory for the publisher after a case that ANL says cost it in excess of £50million to defend.
Paul Dacre, ANL's editor-in-chief and former Daily Mail editor, declared after the ruling that the case "should never have been brought to trial".
The Duke of Sussex and Lady Lawrence took a starkly different view, describing the outcome as a "complete and obvious whitewash".
They said: "We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither."
Today's two-day hearing will now turn to the practical consequences of Mr Justice Nicklin's decision, with costs likely to be a fiercely contested issue given the scale of expenditure involved.
Whether any members of the group will seek permission to appeal remains one of the key questions the court is expected to address when proceedings commence this morning.
