A London court has dismissed an attempt by News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher of The Sun tabloid, to throw out a lawsuit filed by actor Hugh Grant.
Grant alleges that journalists and investigators hired by NGN targeted him with illegal snooping activities. On Friday, May 26, Justice Timothy Fancourt ruled that a trial would be necessary to determine whether NGN engaged in unlawful information gathering, including phone tapping, car bugging, and home break-ins.
Justice Fancourt stated that if the allegations were proven during the trial, scheduled for January 2024, they would demonstrate large-scale deliberate wrongdoing at NGN. He also underscored the concerted efforts allegedly made by the organization to hide and destroy relevant evidence, make false denials, deceive regulators and authorities, and intimidate those who raised allegations or planned to file claims against The Sun.
In a previous hearing, NGN argued that both Grant’s claims and those of Prince Harry should be dismissed due to exceeding the six-year time limit for such cases.
However, the ruling on Friday did not address Prince Harry’s case, as the judge plans to gather more information during a hearing in July. Prince Harry alleges that a “secret agreement” between Buckingham Palace and NGN executives prevented him from raising his phone hacking claims earlier.
As for Grant’s claims of phone hacking, the judge dismissed them on the grounds of time limitations, asserting that the actor had been well aware of the voicemail interception scandal and could have pursued legal action earlier. Grant had previously settled a phone hacking case with News of the World, an NGN publication, which was shut down in 2011 following revelations of voicemail interception involving a murdered girl and several high-profile people.
NGN insisted that there was no illegal information gathering at The Sun. However, the judge allowed the case to proceed based on other allegations brought forward by Grant, which he only became aware of in 2021 through private investigator Gavin Burrows. These allegations include phone tapping, bugging, and burglary purportedly on behalf of The Sun.
Prince Harry, who has also filed a lawsuit against NGN, alleges that the royal family agreed to out-of-court settlements with the publisher following the conclusion of phone hacking litigation against News of the World. He claims that the agreement, allegedly approved by Queen Elizabeth II, was intended to prevent the royals from testifying in court and included an apology.
NGN denies the existence of any “secret agreement,” and the palace has not yet responded to inquiries about this matter or the alleged settlement involving Prince William.
NGN expressed satisfaction with the court’s dismissal of Grant’s phone hacking allegations and maintains their stance on the remaining matters.
