LONDON (AP) — Hugh Grant accepted “an enormous sum of money" to settle a lawsuit accusing The Sun tabloid of unlawfully tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to snoop on him, the actor said Wednesday after the agreement was announced in court.
Grant said he reluctantly settled because of a court policy that could have stuck him with a huge legal bill even if he prevailed at trial — a reality that could also force fellow claimant Prince Harry to settle, their lawyer said. A civil court rule intended to avoid jamming up the courts would have required Grant to pay legal fees to both sides if he won at trial but was awarded anything lower than the settlement offer.
“As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court,” Grant said on the social media platform X. “Even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching 10 million pounds ($12.4 million) in costs. I’m afraid I am shying at that fence.”
The amount of the settlement was not disclosed. NGN said in a statement that it admitted no liability and said the settlement was in the financial interest of both parties to avoid a costly trial.
Grant and other claimants have alleged that NGN, a subsidiary of the media empire built by Rupert Murdoch, violated their privacy through widespread unlawful activity that included hiring private investigators to intercept voicemails, tap phones, bug cars and use deception to access confidential information between 1994 and 2016.
Grant is among several celebrities, including actress Sienna Miller, soccer star Paul Gascoigne and Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, who have settled claims against the publisher.
Attorney Gideon Benaim, who was not involved in the case, said the publisher probably used the “incredibly powerful” rules of the court by making an offer Grant was unlikely to surpass at trial. If a judge awarded Grant less than the settlement offer, he would have faced significant legal costs under the rules.
“Hugh Grant would have been left in little doubt by his lawyers that the offer was pitched so that there was a real risk that he would not ‘beat’ it at trial,” Benaim said. “Therefore, even though he may have preferred to have fought the case, the financial risks were simply too great and he had, in effect, no choice but to settle.”
The settlement leaves The Duke of Sussex and 41 others scheduled to go to trial in the High Court in January, though their lawyer said settlements were being “forced upon” them.
“The Duke of Sussex is subject to the same issues that Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant have been subject to, which is that the offers are made that make it impossible for them to go ahead," David Sherborne told a judge Wednesday at a hearing in the case.
The settlement came less than a year after Justice Timothy Fancourt rejected NGN’s attempt to throw out Grant’s lawsuit alleging unlawful information gathering.
“If true ... these allegations would establish very serious, deliberate wrongdoing at NGN, conducted on an institutional basis on a huge scale,” Fancourt wrote in May. “They would also establish a concerted effort to conceal the wrongdoing by hiding and destroying relevant documentary evidence, repeated public denials, lies to regulators and authorities, and unwarranted threats to those who dared to make allegations or notify intended claims against The Sun.”
Grant said in a witness statement that he could never figure out who broke into his fourth-floor apartment in 2011. The door had been pried off its hinges and the interior looked like there had been a fight but nothing was missing. Two days later, The Sun had a story detailing the interior and “signs of a domestic row.”
He said he was astonished when a private eye hired by The Sun disclosed that people working for the newspaper had burglarized his apartment and placed a tracking device on his car.
Grant, who previously settled a case against Murdoch's News of the World for hacking his phone, said he would not go away quietly.
“Murdoch’s settlement money has a stink and I refuse to let this be hush money," he said. "I have spent the best part of 12 years fighting for a free press that does not distort the truth, abuse ordinary members of the public or hold elected (members of Parliament) to ransom in pursuit of newspaper barons’ personal profit and political power."
Grant said he would direct the money to groups like Hacked Off, which was formed after phone hacking revelations in 2011 brought down News of the World and led to a government inquiry into unlawful press practices. Grant is a board member of the group that advocates for a free and accountable press.
While the now-defunct News of the World has apologized for hacking the phones of celebrities, politicians and families of dead soldiers and a murdered schoolgirl, The Sun has settled cases without admitting liability.
For Prince Harry, the case against The Sun is one of three similar lawsuits he has brought in his crusade to tame the British tabloids. He says the papers have hounded him most of his life and he blames them for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being pursued by paparazzi.
Last year, he won his first case to go to trial when Fancourt found phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers. In addition to a court judgment, he recently settled remaining allegations that included his legal fees. The total sum wasn’t announced, but he was due to receive an interim payment of 400,000 pounds ($498,000).
He has another case pending against the owner of the Daily Mail.
FILE - Hugh Grant arrives at the premiere of "Wonka" on Dec. 10, 2023, at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Calif. Hugh Grant says he received “an enormous sum of money” to settle a lawsuit accusing the publisher of The Sun tabloid of unlawfully tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to snoop on him. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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BKN--76ERS-KNICKS; BKN--PACERS-BUCKS; TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-TAKEAWAYS; RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA-EXPLAINER; ELECTION 2024-RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA; CLIMATE-CHANGE-FLORIDA; EDUCATION-TITLE IX; CONGRESS-CAMPUS PROTESTS
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TOP STORIES
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TRUMP-HUSH MONEY — Donald Trump is held in contempt of court and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. The judge warned that Trump could be jailed. By Michael R. Sisak, Jennifer Peltz, Jake Offenhartz and Colleen Long. SENT: 830 words, photo. WITH: TRUMP-HUSH MONEY-TAKEAWAYS — Prosecutors are filling in the details of how they say Trump pulled off a scheme to bury damaging stories to protect his 2016 campaign (sent).
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war. By Tia Goldenberg and Matthew Lee. SENT: 890 words, photos, video. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-RAFAH-EXPLAINER — Why Israel is so determined to launch an offensive in Rafah. And why so many oppose it. SENT: 860 words, photos, audio.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CAMPUS-PROTESTS — Standoffs between pro-Palestinian protesters and U.S. college administrators appear to be coming to a head. Columbia University in New York limited campus access after protesters took over a building early Tuesday. The school promised that they would face expulsion. Police moved to clear an encampment at Yale University in Connecticut. By Cedar Attanasio, Jake Offenhartz and Jonathan Mattise. SENT: 1,150 words, photos, videos, audio. WITH: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CAMPUS-PROTESTS-GLANCE; CONGRESS-CAMPUS PROTESTS — House Republicans are investigating the federal funding for universities where students have protested the Israel-Hamas war (both sent).
CONGRESS-SPEAKER — House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some of his fellow Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, likely assuring for now that Johnson will avoid being ousted from office like his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy. By Kevin Freking. SENT: 890 words, photos.
RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The DEA’s proposal would recognize the medical use of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than other drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana. By Zeke Miller, Joshua Goodman, Jim Mustian and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 740 words, photo. With RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA-EXPLAINER — What happens next? (sent); ELECTION 2024-RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA — President Biden’s move to reclassify marijuana marks his latest election-year appeal to young voters. UPCOMING: 640 words, photos by 7 p.m.
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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
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MIDEAST-TENSIONS — A Portuguese-flagged container ship has come under attack by a drone in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea. That corresponds with a claim early Tuesday by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that they assaulted the ship there. The attack on the MSC Orion, occurring some 600 kilometers or 375 miles off the coast of Yemen, appeared to be the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November. SENT: 710 words, photo.
WORLD-COURT-GAZA-NICARAGUA-GERMANY — The top U.N. court rejected on Tuesday a request by Nicaragua to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and renew funding to the U.N. aid agency in Gaza. SENT: 800 words, photos.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-AID PORT-EXPLAINER -- The U.S. and allies are scrambling to pull together a complex system that will move tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza by sea. Nearly two months after President Joe Biden gave the order, U.S. Army and Navy troops are assembling the large floating platform several miles off the Gaza coast that will be the launching pad for deliveries. SENT: 1,140 words, photo, video, audio.
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MORE NEWS
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BIRD-FLU-GROUND-BEEF-TESTING — The USDA is testing ground beef for bird flu. Experts are confident the meat supply is safe. SENT: 260 words, photo.
BRITAIN-KING-CHARLES — King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity. SENT: 260 words, photo.
WALMART-STORE-FOOD-LABEL -- Walmart is launching its biggest store-label food brand in 20 years in terms of its breadth of items. It’s an attempt to appeal to younger customers who are not brand loyal. SENT: 210 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/ POLITICS
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EDUCATION-TITLE IX — Another six Republican states are piling on to challenge the Biden administration’s newly expanded campus sexual assault rules, saying they overstep the president’s authority and undermine the Title IX anti-discrimination law. SENT: 580 words, photo.
ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-ABORTION — Donald Trump tells Time magazine it should be left up to the states whether they want to prosecute women for getting abortions or whether to monitor their pregnancies. SENT: 840 words, photo. WITH: ELECTION 2024-TRUMP-IMMIGRATION — Trump says he’ll use the National Guard as part of efforts to deport millions of migrants if he’s reelected (sent).
ELECTION 2024-FLORIDA-YOUNG VOTERS — Democrats believe young Florida voters will come to the polls in November because of the abortion and marijuana measures on the ballot. If they do, President Joe Biden will likely get their support even though many are lukewarm to a second term for him. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, video.
Find the AP’s latest Election 2024 coverage plans, including live video and text plans, our explanatory journalism and highlights from previous cycles and candidate schedules in The Daily Rundown, which publishes around 8 a.m. Monday through Friday.
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NATIONAL
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REL-DISUNITED-METHODISTS — United Methodist delegates have begun making historic policy changes on sexuality, voting without debate to reverse a series of anti-LGBTQ polices. The delegates voted to delete mandatory penalties for clergy conducting same-sex marriages. They also removed their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries SENT: 790 words, photos.
OFFICERS-SHOT-CHARLOTTE — Police in North Carolina say they’re still sorting out how four officers were killed and four others wounded in suburban Charlotte on Monday. But they know the officers were at a disadvantage when immediately faced with gunfire from an upstairs position inside a home. A task force made up of state, federal and local officers were trying to arrest a man for a gun crime. SENT: 730 words, photos, video, audio.
CLIMATE-CHANGE-FLORIDA — Florida, perhaps the most vulnerable state to sea-level rise and extreme weather, is on the verge of repealing what’s left of a 16-year-old law that lists climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions. Instead, the state would make energy affordability and availability its main focus. SENT: 620 words, photo.
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INTERNATIONAL
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ARGENTINA-CONFRONTING-CONGRESS-EXPLAINER -- Argentine lawmakers and protestors are converging on downtown Buenos Aires as the lower house debates the cornerstone of President Javier Milei’s legislative agenda. Milei is hoping to push through a key part of his ambitious plan to overhaul the Argentine state. But he has run into resistance from Argentina’s combustible Congress, powerful unions and disgruntled governors. SENT: 950 words, photos, video.
CHINA-SCIENTIST-PROTEST — The first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China staged a sit-in protest outside his lab after authorities locked him out of the facility — a sign of Beijing’s continuing pressure on scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. SENT: 690 words, photos, audio.
WORLD COURT-MEXICO-ECUADOR — Mexico has accused Ecuador of a violation of international law before the top U.N. court, asserting that there was no legal defense for storming the Mexican Embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice president who had just been granted asylum in Mexico. SENT: 500 words, photos, video.
HAITI — Haiti’s newly installed transitional council chose former Sports Minister Fritz Belizaire as the country’s prime minister Tuesday as it presses forward in its monumental task of trying to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence. SENT: 770 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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MED-MAMMOGRAMS-EXPLAINER -- Regular mammograms to screen for breast cancer should start younger — at age 40. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced the updated guidance. It also says women ages 40 to 74 should get screened every other year. Previously, it said women could choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that women get the exams every two years starting at age 50. SENT: 630 words, photo, audio.
MED-DRUG-PATENTS — Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand-name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that drive up prices. SENT: 340 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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TONY AWARD-NOMINATIONS — Two Broadway shows celebrating the origins of sonic creativity — the musical “Hell’s Kitchen” fueled by Alicia Keys songs, and the play “Stereophonic” about a ’70s rock band at the edge of stardom — each earned a leading 13 Tony Award nominations. The list also saw a record number of women nominated for best director. A total of 28 shows earned a Tony nod or more, with the musical “The Outsiders,” an adaptation of the beloved S. E. Hinton novel and the Francis Ford Coppola film, earning 12 nominations, and a starry revival of “Cabaret” starring Eddie Redmayne, nabbing nine. The Tonys are set for June 16. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT: 1,210 words, photos, video. WITH: TONY-NOMINATIONS-LIST. WITH: ENT-TONY-AWARDS-NOMINATIONS-REACTION -- Alicia Keys, Brian d’Arcy James, Daniel Radcliffe and more react to earning Tony Award nomination (sent).
FILM-SUMMER-MOVIE-PREVIEW-BREAKOUTS — A breakout moment in Hollywood can happen at any age and stage. This summer at the movies, there are plenty of talents to discover. They include: the formerly incarcerated Clarence Maclin who plays himself in “Sing Sing” and the British actor who played Eddie in “Stranger Things” and is now leading the “Quiet Place” prequel. SENT: 1,300 words, photos,
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SPORTS
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BKN--76ERS-KNICKS — The New York Knicks can advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight season with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their series. By AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game scheduled at 7 p.m.
BKN--PACERS-BUCKS — The Indiana Pacers attempt to clinch their first playoff series victory since 2014 as they visit the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5. The Pacers lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 after winning three straight games. By Steve Megargee. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game scheduled at 9:30 p.m.
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Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry female cadets shout as they march during a rehearsal in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Dvortsovaya (Palace) Square on May 9 to celebrate 79 years after the victory in World War II. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid over the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from central Gaza, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A view of the tennis court set up in Rome's Piazza del Popolo, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 ahead of the Italian tennis open tournament scheduled to start on May 6 at the Foro Italico. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
Former President Donald Trump speaks upon arriving at Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)
People gather on a bridge where a woman's body was retrieved, after floodwater washed away houses, in Kamuchiri Village Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Kenya, along with other parts of East Africa, has been overwhelmed by flooding that killed 66 people on Monday alone and in recent days has blocked a national highway, swamped the main airport and swept a bus off a bridge. More than 150,000 people are displaced and living in dozens of camps. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Squares mark a lawn where tents once stood as a person carries a bullhorn and other items away after an encampment protesting the Israel-Hamas war was taken down at Brown University, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Providence, R.I. Brown University administrators and leaders of several student groups on Tuesday said a deal would end a protest there by evening. The statements said President Christina Paxson had committed to an October vote by the school's governing board on the students' divestment proposal. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
