The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have launched a lawsuit for invasion of privacy after learning a picture of son Archie illegally taken by drone is being shopped around media outlets.
- Jul 25, 2020
AceShowbiz - Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have filed a lawsuit over drone pictures taken of them and their son Archie inside their home.
The couple has enlisted celebrity attorney Michael J. Kump for their new legal proceedings, which they decided to undertake after learning that a picture of Archie taken in their Malibu, California, yard was being shopped around media outlets.
"Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home. No drones, helicopters or telephoto lenses can take away that right," Kump told Fox News in a statement on Thursday (23Jul20). "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are filing this lawsuit to protect their young son's right to privacy in their home without intrusion by photographers, and to uncover and stop those who seek to profit from these illegal actions."
After stepping back as senior members of Britain's royal family in January, Meghan and Harry moved to North Saanich, Canada, with Archie, before a British tabloid published details of their new abode, and led to hordes of photographers descending on the property.
They then relocated to California, reportedly to the house of Hollywood star Tyler Perry, where the same thing happened again.
In a bid to prevent photographers from getting shots of their family, Harry and Meghan erected a large mesh fence around the property in the gated community - but this just led to snappers using drones and helicopters to try and get their shots.
"Some paparazzi and media outlets have flown drones a mere 20 feet above the house, as often as three times a day, to obtain photographs of the couple and their young son in their private residence," Kump writes in the complaint. "Others have flown helicopters above the backyard of the residence, as early as 5.30 am and as late as 7.00 pm, waking neighbours and their son, day after day. And still others have even cut holes in the security fence itself to peer through it."
With regards to the pictures taken of Archie in their yard, Kump added, "The Plaintiffs have done everything in their power to stay out of the limelight except in connection with their work, which they freely admit is newsworthy. But the photos at issue are not news. They are not public interest. They are harassment. The sole point to taking and/or selling such invasive photos is to profit from a child."
Harry and Meghan are suing three different defendants, identified at this stage only as John Does, and are requesting that any illegal pictures of Archie be turned over. In addition, they're seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
