LONDON (Reuters) – British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of tabloid newspaper The Sun over allegations that journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burglarize his home, his lawyer said in court papers on Wednesday.
Grant, along with King Charles’ son Prince Harry, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) for alleged widespread illegal information collection, including wiretapping of landlines, burglaries and the “disclosure” of confidential information about him.
His case was one of several claims that could have been heard in London’s High Court in January, but the actor agreed to settle the case with NGN, his lawyer David Sherborne said.
Grant, known for films such as Love Actually and Notting Hill, has become a prominent campaigner for press reform since the phone-hacking scandal broke more than a decade ago.
He previously filed a lawsuit against NGN over the now-defunct News of the World tabloid, which was settled in 2012, a year after the paper was shut down by media mogul Rupert Murdoch following a public backlash.
NGN has always denied allegations of any wrongdoing by The Sun staff, settling more than 1,000 cases without admitting any liability towards the newspaper.
But the settlement of Grant’s lawsuit, whose case focused solely on alleged wrongdoing at the newspaper, raises questions about the sustainability of that long-held position.
NGN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.