actor Hugh Grant reaches financial deal with tabloid ‘The Sun’ he was suing

Hugh Grant announces on X to drop the lawsuit against the tabloid’s publisher in exchange for a “huge sum of money”.

British actor Hugh Grant reaches financial deal with tabloid publisher The Sun that he was suing for “phone hacking, illegal collection of information, phone tapping”he announced on X (formerly Twitter), Wednesday April 17, claiming to have been offered “a huge amount of money“.

Hugh Grant, aged 63, also accuses The Sun – whose publisher NGN has denied any illegal procedure – of having burglarized his apartment and wiretapped his car. NGN “claims to be completely innocent”wrote the actor on X. “As is often the case with completely innocent people, (the company) is offering me a huge sum of money to keep this case from going to court,” he added, ironically. The case was scheduled to go to trial in January 2025.

During a preliminary hearing on Wednesday April 17, NGN’s lawyer, Anthony Hudson, indicated that an agreement had been reached “recently”.

Costly lawsuit

The agreement “was done without acknowledgment of responsibility”added an NGN spokesperson. “It is in the financial interest of both parties not to pursue a costly trial.” Hugh Grant indicated on X that he would have liked to go to trial. But because of the rules governing civil trials, he explains that he would have had to pay the legal costs of both parties if the court awarded him damages lower than the amount proposed by NGN. However, the lawyers of NGN, which is part of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, “are very expensive”he added, citing an amount of almost 10 million pounds sterling (11.7 million euros).

The actor said he would donate the money to groups denouncing “the worst excesses of our oligarch-owned press.” Among these groups is Hacked Off, of which he is a board member.

Bitterness

Prince Harry, youngest son of King Charles III, has initiated similar proceedings against NGN. The trial is scheduled for January 2025. Harry has launched several legal proceedings targeting the methods of certain British media. In February, his lawyer announced a settlement with the tabloid’s publisher DailyMirror, MGN, to put an end to prosecutions for illicit collection of information. Harry got a “substantial amount”said his lawyer, without revealing the amount of the transaction.

Exiled in the United States, Harry, 39, feels stubborn resentment towards the tabloid press, which he holds responsible for the death of his mother Lady Di, killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997.