Prince Harry and Meghan Markle filed a complaint in a Los Angeles court alleging that the paparazzi committed serious infractions against the privacy of their 14-month old son, Archie Harrison. A legal expert not tied to the case, however, said that this potential courtroom battle could be "dead on arrival."
In an interview with Fox News, Marvel icon Stan Lee's litigator Tom Lallas said that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's lawsuit baffles many lawyers for one glaring reason. Apparently, the claim doesn't have a specific defendant as it simply named three John Does who allegedly took photos of their son from their Beverly Hills backyard using drones and telephoto lenses.
Lallas said that lawyers studied Prince Harry and Meghan's complaint and described it as "extremely unusual." He questioned what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to achieve if there are no specific people to go after for punitive damages.
The attorney thinks that this lawsuit will be "dead on arrival" in court. He concedes, however, that some judges might indulge and accommodate the Sussexes and lay out summons to third parties despite the impracticality of the process.
Lallas said that by serving summons to third parties, perhaps Prince Harry and Meghan would like to "unmask" the actual people responsible for encroaching on their privacy. However, the litigator said this tactic is a "fishing expedition" that carries much irony given who they are and what they do.
The lawyer said that Prince Harry and Meghan do not want publicity for their son but they are using mechanisms that generate more publicity. Lallas believes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not succeed in unmasking the ones behind the paparazzi.
Unfortunately, this is just one of the many legal battles Prince Harry and Meghan face. On Thursday, July 30, the Duchess of Sussex agreed to pay legal fees amounting to almost $90,000 in her lawsuit against the publishers of Mail on Sunday. According to Page Six, Meghan lost the first round of the lawsuit last May and the fees will go to the defendant's litigation cost.
Her fight is not yet over, however, as Meghan Markle is still waiting on the judge's verdict over her request to keep the identities of friends confidential. These friends were named in the lawsuit as the ones who spoke to defend the Duchess of Sussex amid the negative reports following her wedding to Prince Harry. Mail on Sunday allegedly plans to publish their identities but Meghan said her friends are not the ones on trial.
