Hugh Grant settles court case against The Sun’s publisher ‘for enormous sum of money’
Hugh Grant has settled a High Court claim against the publisher of The Sun newspaper after being offered an “enormous sum of money”.
The actor, 63, was meant to have his claim of unlawful information gathering against The Sun considered in a High Court trial in January.
Grant was suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) alongside Prince Harry for claims which included landline tapping, burglary and “blagging” confidential information about him.
Grant posted on X to say he decided to settle to avoid an outcome where he would have to pay millions in legal costs.
The actor said NGN claimed it was “entirely innocent of the things I had accused the Sun of doing – phone hacking, unlawful information gathering, landline tapping, the burglary of my flat and office, the bugging of my car, the illegal blagging of medical records, lies, perjury and the destruction of evidence”.
Hugh Grant presents the best director award during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2024. Pic: Getty Images
He continued: “As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court.
“I don’t want to accept this money or settle. I would love to see all the allegations that they deny tested in court.
“But the rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides.”
Grant, famous for films such as Four Weddings And A Funeral and Notting Hill, said his lawyers told him that would “most likely” be the outcome.
“So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10 million in costs. I’m afraid I am shying at that fence,” he said.
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Grant has become a prominent campaigner on 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.
Among other things, Grant had claimed he was targeted using “burglaries to order”.
In a witness statement, he said: “My claim concerns unlawful acts committed by The Sun, including burglaries to order, the breaking and entering of private property in order to obtain private information through bugging, landline tapping, phone hacking, and the use of private investigators to do all these and other illegal things against me.”
Amid news last year that Grant’s claim would be tried at High Court, it was reported the actor gave the same evidence he gave to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards and ethics in 2011.
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Back then, he had spoken about a break-in at his London flat, where the front door was forced off its hinges and a story appeared shortly afterwards in The Sun that “detailed the interior”.
NGN has previously denied any unlawful activity took place at The Sun and declined to comment on Grant’s settlement.
Harry’s claim is currently set to go to trial in January 2025.
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The Duchess of Sussex has delayed the release of her new Netflix series due to the devastation caused by the wildfires in LA, the streaming platform has announced.
Meghan’s eight-part series, With Love, will premiere on 4 March instead of 15 January.
“I’m thankful to my partners at Netflix for supporting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California,” Meghan said in a statement to Tudum, the official companion site to Netflix.
Harry and Meghan comforted volunteers and handed out food to evacuees during a visit to Pasadena on Friday, where they met with the city’s mayor Victor Gordo and emergency workers tackling the Eaton Fire.
Prince Harry and Meghan were seen comforting residents on Friday
Footage showed the duchess, wearing a blue “LA” baseball cap, and the prince hugging and consoling people who had fled to the Pasadena Convention Center.
They were also seen speaking Doug Goodwin, whose home was destroyed in the wildfires, and also to Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK) which has been helping feed the public and emergency crews.
Prince Harry and Meghan spoke to Doug Goodwin (centre right), whose home was destroyed and Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo (right) in Altadena, California. Pic: AP
A description of the Netflix series on Tudum’s website said: “Produced by Meghan, ‘With Love, Meghan’ blends practical how-to’s and candid conversation with friends, new and old.
“Meghan shares personal tips and tricks, embracing playfulness over perfection, and highlights how easy it can be to create beauty, even in the unexpected.
“She and her guests roll up their sleeves in the kitchen, the garden, and beyond, and invite you to do the same.”
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The royals live in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, around 90 miles from Los Angeles.
They are understood to have donated supplies, including clothing and children’s items, to people affected by the disaster.
They released a statement on Thursday urging people to help those affected by the wildfires and to open their homes to those evacuated.
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