New Lawsuits in Phone Hacking Scandal

(Posted on 16/09/12)

News broke on Friday that forty new lawsuits against scandal-ridden News International have been filed; some of those suits, like others that have already been settled, reveal prominent people as the plaintiffs. Sarah Ferguson and athlete Tony Adams are just two of those names. Friday marked the final day new civil suits can be filed for those seeking damages. Many may recall the battered media corporation had already paid off close to 60 victims. Not many details are being released regarding the forty new suits; however, it's expected more details will be released after the weekend.

One solicitor that represents at least a few of the victims said earlier that there is an additional 124 suits that have been accepted into the comp fund and are at various stages of the process. Some of the suits could develop into new lawsuits with new charges. Unsure of how many that initial 124 suits will eventually morph into, Hugh Tomlinson, QC, said he doesn't expect there to be more than three hundred.

Other names that are now linked to the phone hacking scandal include Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, Ted Beckham, who is the father of David Beckham and actor Darren Day. In January, lawsuits filed by Jude Law and Sienna Miller, international celebrities, were settled. That's just two of the 58 that cycled through the month of January alone.

These civil suits are being scheduled around the criminal cases against several News International executives. Andy Coulson, who was the one time editor of the News of the World, along with Rebekah Brooks, an upper executive, are two who face criminal charges. Also this week, news broke that a security official, who worked for Rupert Murdoch, had been charged with conspiring with Brooks and others to hinder a police investigation into the scandal. Lee Sandell is accused of plotting with Brooks and others to conceal documents, computer and other electronic equipment from police probing claims of hacking by journalists at News of the World newspaper last July. Sandell will be appearing before Westminster Magistrates' Court next week to face charges for "conspiracy to pervert the course of justice", the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.