Actor Hugh Grant has taken a settlement in his civil case against The Sun tabloid, Deadline reported. The Notting Hill actor sued the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet over violation of privacy but reluctantly took the payout that would end the case.
Grant and others, including Prince Harry, sued News Group Newspapers over their newsgathering practices. The lawsuit alleges those tactics included hiring private investigators to break into Grant's home and placing wiretaps on his phones.
The Paddington 2 actor's case was allowed to proceed in the High Court of London earlier this year. However, Grant believes he was forced into a settlement because of the laws of the UK and said as much in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday.
For anyone who has been interested in my lawsuit against the Sun, the news is that I’ve had to settle my claim out of court before it gets to trial. A 🧵…
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) April 17, 2024
The Four Weddings and a Funeral actor shared the dilemma he faced while seeking justice. "I don’t want to accept this money or settle," Grant wrote in the post.
"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," the 63-year-old actor continued.
"My lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdoch’s lawyers are very expensive," Grant explained.
"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 added. Grant said that Murdoch used a similar tactic to "settle over 1,500 claims" to keep the issues out of court.
Despite admitting that he's been beaten for now, Grant promises that he will continue to strive for justice. "Murdoch’s settlement money has a stink, and I refuse to let this be hush money," Grant wrote.
Grant was the victim of wiretapping and has been an outspoken advocate for the truth ever since. "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 MPs to ransom in pursuit of newspaper barons’ personal profit and political power," Grant continued in his post.
"So this money will repurposed via groups like Hacked Off into the general campaign to expose the worst excesses of our oligarch-owned press," Grant promised. Prince Harry has also doggedly pursued the tabloid journalists who have potentially broken laws while pursuing a story.
The royal Spare has been involved in several lawsuits against the media, including one against the Mirror Group Newspapers that yielded a substantial settlement. Singer Elton John will similarly have his day in court against the Daily Mail publishers.
In the past, any time celebrities would complain about the price of fame, it often fell on deaf ears as they led charmed lives. However, the allegations from Grant, Prince Harry, and others go beyond the average photographer hiding in bushes or interrupting dinner at a restaurant.
If true, these news outlets broke the law just to get the scoop on a celebrity. These practices are abhorrent and deserve to be punished accordingly.
