Hugh Grant has settled High Court claims against the publisher of The Sun newspaper after being awarded a “substantial sum of money”.
actor, 63 years oldwas due to consider his claims against The Sun for illegally gathering information at a High Court trial in January.
Grant Join Prince Harry in suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) Charges include landline wiretapping, burglary and “disseminating” confidential information about him.
Grant posted on X that he decided to settle to avoid an outcome that would require him to pay millions of dollars in legal fees.
The actor said NGN claims it is “completely innocent of what I accuse The Sun of doing – phone hacking, illegal information gathering, landline tapping, burglaries of my apartment and office, bugging my car, illegal bragging Medical Information”. Records, lies, perjury and destruction of evidence.”
Hugh Grant presents the Best Director Award during the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards. Picture: Getty Images
He continued: “As is common with completely innocent people, I was offered a large sum of money to keep this matter out of court.
“I don’t want to accept the money or the settlement. I want to see all the accusations they deny tested in court.
“But the rules of civil litigation mean that if I go to trial and the court awards me damages that are one penny less than the settlement, I will have to pay both parties’ legal costs.”
GrantHe, known for films including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, said his lawyers told him that was the “most likely” outcome.
“So even if every allegation is proven in court I would still be liable for costs of close to £10m. I am concerned that I will avoid the issue,” he said.
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Grant has become a prominent campaigner for journalism reform since the phone-hacking scandal broke out more than a decade ago.
He previously brought and settled a lawsuit against NGN over the News of the World tabloid
In 2012, a year after the paper was shut down by media giants Rupert Murdoch after public backlash.
NGN has consistently rejected any allegations of wrongdoing by Sun staff and has settled more than 1,000 cases without admitting any liability related to the newspaper.
Among other things, Grant claimed that he was Use “Burglary in Sequence” as a goal.
He said in a witness statement: “My charges relate to unlawful conduct by The Sun, including burglary on command, breaking and entering on private property for the purpose of wiretapping, landline wiretapping, telephone wiretapping and the use of private investigators to do all of this to me. These and other illegal things.”
It was revealed last year that Grant would face a High Court trial over the allegations, with the actor reportedly giving the same evidence as was given at the Leveson Inquiry into Journalism Standards and Ethics in 2011.
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At the time, he spoke of a break-in at his London flat in which the front door was forced off its hinges, with a report “detailing the interior” published in The Sun shortly afterwards.
NGN has previously denied that any illegal activity took place at The Sun and declined to comment on Grant’s settlement.
Harry’s claim is currently scheduled to go to trial in January 2025.
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