Hugh Grant settles privacy case against Sun publisher
Actor Hugh Grant has resolved a privacy dispute with the Sun newspaper’s publisher.
According to court documents filed by his lawyer on Wednesday, the actor alleged that journalists employed private investigators to unlawfully access his phone and break into his home.
Grant, in collaboration with Prince Harry, had initiated legal action against News Group Newspapers (NGN), accusing them of engaging in widespread illegal gathering of information.
The specific terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
In a statement shared on Twitter, Grant revealed that NGN had proposed a substantial sum of money to prevent the matter from proceeding to court.
Expressing his reluctance to accept the settlement, Grant stated, “I am disinclined to accept this offer or settle. I am eager to see all the allegations they refute tested in a courtroom.”
However, he explained the financial risks associated with continuing to trial, citing the potential scenario where he might be liable for significant legal costs if the damages awarded by the court were even marginally less than the settlement offer.
Grant emphasized his discomfort with the money offered, describing it as tainted. As a result, he declared his intention to redirect the funds, possibly through organizations like Hacked Off, to support broader efforts aimed at revealing and addressing the unethical practices of media outlets owned by oligarchs.
Grant’s case was among several slated for trial at London’s High Court in January.
He is best known for films such as Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, and Paddington 2.
He has also been a prominent campaigner on press reform since the phone-hacking scandal emerged more than a decade ago.
Grant previously brought a case against NGN about the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, which was settled in 2012.
That came a year after the newspaper was shut down by media mogul Murdoch following a public backlash to hacking revelations.
NGN has rejected allegations of any wrongdoing by staff at the Sun, having settled more than 1,000 cases without making any admission of liability about the paper.
It has not yet publicly commented on the latest settlement with Grant.
However, Anthony Hudson KC, representing NGN, acknowledged to a judge at a hearing on Wednesday that there were “currently 42 extant claims… that follow the recent settlement of Mr Grant’s claim”.
NGN had previously unsuccessfully argued that Grant’s action should be blocked because he had waited too long to launch it.
In 2023, a judge was asked to rule on whether the actor’s case should be allowed to proceed because it dates back further than six years, the cut-off point for legal action of this kind in civil courts.
This time limitation has become a major legal battleground in cases against newspapers because allegations of wrongdoing often go back 30 years.
But Grant argued at the time he should be allowed to bring the case now because the material he and his lawyers will rely on only came to light in recent years.
