Elizabeth Hurley, Elton John, and Heather Mills have settled their phone-hacking claims against The Sun’s parent company at the last minute, avoiding a potentially embarrassing trial for Rupert Murdoch’s media empire over claims that the practice was “widespread” at the paper.
The decision means that leading executives at News Group Newspapers will not be called to give evidence in the trial, which was due to start at the high court next week. It also involved claims by John’s husband, David Furnish, and Mills’ sister.
The Sun has always strongly insisted that phone hacking only took place at its defunct sister newspaper the News of the World, which closed in 2011 at the height of the scandal.
This is the fourth time in the last 18 months that News Group Newspapers has settled phone hacking claims on the eve of trial, with the company’s settlements – collectively running into millions – ensuring that they are not tested in open court, where executives could be called to give evidence.
Lawyers representing alleged victims now intend to bring another tranche of up to 100 new claims of phone hacking at Murdoch newspapers. They are being dealt with in tranches due to the number of claimants involved.
These could take up to two years to work their way through the legal system, with potentially further claims on the horizon, meaning legal proceedings relating to alleged phone hacking at Murdoch-controlled newspapers are set to continue well into their second decade. Many cases relate to claims of voicemail interception dating back to the mid-2000s and more than 1,000 claims have been settled over the past 10 years.
Lawyers representing alleged victims have used pre-trial hearings to raise issues relating to the cases in open court. This month they requested the historic expenses receipts of current Sun reporter Nick Parker, to investigate whether his purchase of top-up vouchers for a burner mobile phone was related to the interception of voicemails.
“We confirm that the latest trial against News Group Newspapers in the civil phone-hacking litigation due to begin on 4 February 2019 will not take place,” said a spokesperson for Hamlins solicitors. “Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Elton John and David Furnish and Heather and Fiona Mills settled their claims against NGN earlier this week… As lead solicitor for the claimants, Hamlins are applying shortly to commence the next batch of claims being brought against NGN.”
A spokesperson for Murdoch’s company said: “News Group Newspapers has settled cases relating to voicemail interception at the News of the World which closed in 2011. Sincere apologies have been offered to the claimants for the distress caused by the invasion of privacy. No admission of liability has been made to any allegations of illegal information gathering at The Sun newspaper.”
