British actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against publisher of the Sun

BRITISH actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun tabloid newspaper over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, his lawyer said in court documents on Wednesday (Apr 17).

Grant, alongside King Charles’ son Prince Harry, was suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) for alleged widespread unlawful information gathering, including landline tapping, burglary and “blagging” confidential information about him.

His case was one of several lawsuits which were eligible to go to trial at London’s High Court in January, but the actor has agreed to settle with NGN, his lawyer David Sherborne said.

Grant, famous for films such as Love Actually and Notting Hill, has become a prominent campaigner for press reform since the phone-hacking scandal emerged more than a decade ago.

He previously brought a lawsuit against NGN in relation to the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, which was settled in 2012, a year after the newspaper was shut down by media magnate Rupert Murdoch following a public backlash.

NGN has always rejected allegations of any wrongdoing by staff at The Sun, having settled more than 1,000 cases without making any admission of liability in relation to the paper.

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However, the settlement of Grant’s lawsuit, whose case focused exclusively on alleged wrongdoing at the paper, raises questions about the sustainability of that long-held position.

NGN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. REUTERS