Actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against The Sun tabloid, alleging unlawful activities including phone tapping, car bugging, and home intrusion. Grant revealed that he received a substantial sum of money as part of the settlement, which he accepted reluctantly to avoid potentially high legal costs.
The settlement, the amount of which remains undisclosed, was reached with News Group Newspapers (NGN), with NGN stating that it admitted no liability but settled to avoid a costly trial. Grant and other claimants accused NGN, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's media empire, of violating their privacy through illegal means between 1994 and 2016.
Grant recounted an incident in 2011 where his apartment was broken into, and details of the intrusion were later published by The Sun. He was shocked to learn that individuals associated with the newspaper had burglarized his home and placed a tracking device on his car.
Grant, who previously settled a case against News of the World for phone hacking, emphasized that the settlement money would not silence him. He pledged to donate the funds to organizations like Hacked Off, advocating for a responsible and transparent press.
The settlement with Grant leaves Prince Harry and 41 others set to proceed to trial in January. Justice Timothy Fancourt had earlier rejected NGN's attempt to dismiss Grant's lawsuit, citing serious allegations of deliberate wrongdoing and attempts to conceal evidence.
Grant's stance against media intrusion and his commitment to upholding press integrity underscore his ongoing efforts to hold media organizations accountable for their actions.
