The case, which would represent the last major legal reckoning for victims and perpetrators of Britain’s phone hacking scandal, was adjourned until Wednesday.
The long-awaited trial in Prince Harry’s lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s London tabloids for unlawful gathering of information opened on Tuesday. But it was immediately adjourned and lawyers later said that the two sides were engaged in a last-minute settlement negotiation.
It was a trademark move for Mr. Murdoch and his companies, which have avoided many courtroom showdowns, on phone hacking charges and other allegations, by offering expensive settlements.
This time, a lawyer for Harry petitioned the judge for an hour, before asking for yet another delay, until 2 p.m. London time, and then for two more hours, as the lawyers conferred with their clients in faraway time zones. Both sides pleaded with the judge not to force them to begin making arguments, saying that would jeopardize a resolution that could avert weeks of costly litigation.
During a day of frantic filibustering, the lawyers huddled in the hallways of the High Court, which swarmed with journalists gathered to cover a trial that was expected to be the last major legal reckoning for victims of the phone hacking scandal that tarnished Britain’s news media more than a decade ago.
If Harry accepts a settlement, it would spare him heavy financial risk. Under English law, Harry would be required to pay the legal costs of both sides — which could run into the tens of millions of dollars — if the court does not award him an amount commensurate with what News Group Newspapers had offered him in a settlement.
For News Group, it would avert weeks of damaging testimony about phone hacking and other unlawful methods used by its journalists to ferret out information about Harry and other prominent figures. News Group, which denies the accusations, has settled similar claims with hundreds of other plaintiffs over the years.