Celebrity injunction: What we are allowed to know so far

Judges will announce their decision on Thursday

London's supreme court (Getty)

On Thursday, five Supreme Court justices will gather to announce their decision over a protracted and very costly legal battle centring around a story a tabloid newspaper is currently banned from publishing.

A celebrity is challenging a Court of Appeal decision that an order barring The Sun on Sunday from naming him and publishing a story about his alleged “extramarital sexual activities” should be lifted.

Supreme Court justices will announce their decision on Thursday, which will be final.

Who is involved?

The man is named in court papers as PJS and described as a well-known person who is in “the entertainment business”. His spouse, named as YMA, is described as “a well-known individual in the same business”.

How much has been spent on this legal battle so far?

A lot, in short. Mark Stephens, a media lawyer, says the cost of the privacy order will have spiralled past half a million as the complainant battles to keep the order in place. Mr Stephens told the Independent that while an injunction can typically cost between £50,000 and £75,000 this case may well have cost in excess of £750,000.

Why has it gone on for so long?

News Group Newspapers (NGN) won the first round of the legal battle in January when a High Court judge refused to impose an injunction. But then PJS challenged the decision and Court of Appeal judges ruled in his favour, concluding the couple’s young children would be the subject of intensified media scrutiny as a result of publishing the story.

The injunction is in place in England and Wales. After publications in Scotland, the US and other countries identified the couple, NGN's lawyers returned to court and successfully argued the order should be lifted because the man’s name could be found online. PJS then took his case to the Supreme Court.

What will happen after?

The decision will have a long-term effect on future privacy disputes and what the media can and can’t report.

You can watch the verdict live on Thursday here.