Hugh Grant recently settled a lawsuit against The Sun tabloid, where he accused them of unlawfully tapping his phone, bugging his car, and breaking into his home to snoop on him. Grant said he accepted “an enormous sum of money” as a settlement, as the court policy could have left him with a huge legal bill even if he won at trial. The settlement amount was not disclosed, and NGN, the publisher of The Sun, admitted no liability in the matter. Grant is among several celebrities who have settled claims against the publisher for privacy violations.
NGN, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, has been accused of violating privacy through unlawful activities such as intercepting voicemails, tapping phones, and using deception to access confidential information. Celebrities like Sienna Miller, Paul Gascoigne, and Melanie Chisholm have also settled claims against the publisher. The court rules surrounding legal fees made it financially risky for Grant to proceed to trial without settling. Attorney Gideon Benaim noted that NGN likely made a settlement offer that Grant would not be able to surpass at trial, leading to the settlement.
The settlement leaves Prince Harry and others scheduled to go to trial in January, with their lawyer stating that settlements are being “forced upon” them due to the high financial risks associated with losing at trial. Grant’s lawsuit against NGN was previously rejected by Justice Timothy Fancourt, who highlighted the serious wrongdoing at NGN and the efforts to conceal it. Grant shared a witness statement detailing an incident where individuals working for The Sun had broken into his apartment and placed a tracking device on his car, leading to the settlement.
Grant, who had previously settled a case against News of the World for phone hacking, stated that he would not be silenced by Murdoch’s settlement money. He plans to direct the money received from the settlement to groups like Hacked Off, which advocates for a free and accountable press. Grant has been a vocal advocate for press freedom and has been fighting against press practices that distort the truth or abuse ordinary individuals. The settlement with The Sun comes as part of Prince Harry’s larger efforts to combat British tabloids that have harassed him for years.
Prince Harry has brought multiple lawsuits against British tabloids in his quest to rein in their intrusive practices. He blames the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and has been actively fighting for press accountability. Last year, he won a case against Mirror Group Newspapers for phone hacking and recently settled additional allegations. The total sum of the settlement was not disclosed, but an interim payment of 400,000 pounds was mentioned. Prince Harry has another pending case against the owner of the Daily Mail and continues to advocate for press ethics and accountability.
