Prince Harry and Celebrities Seek Justice in Phone Hacking Lawsuit Against Murdoch's Company

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Rupert Murdoch is facing the possibility of being personally involved in another significant lawsuit.

Lawyers representing Prince Harry, Guy Ritchie, and Hugh Grant, among others, have requested the U.K. court for permission to make changes to their lawsuit against Murdoch's British newspaper company. They claim that the media tycoon himself was personally involved in covering up illegal activities.

The lawsuit, initially filed in 2019, accuses News Group Newspapers, the owner of The Sun tabloid and former News of the World, of engaging in illegal privacy intrusions, including hacking, dating back to the mid-1990s until 2016.

Lawyers for the Duke of Sussex are now seeking to include claims that Rupert Murdoch personally provided "knowingly false" information on the matter. They also accuse Rebekah Brooks, a top Murdoch lieutenant who currently oversees his British newspapers, of having also "lied and/or gave deliberately misleading evidence."

According to Harry's lawyers, executives at the newspaper group, including Murdoch, publicly promoted the false claim that there was only "one rogue reporter" in the News of the World scandal. They also allegedly attempted to "buy" the silence of senior executives. The lawyers stated that the extensive concealment and destruction strategy would not have been carried out without the knowledge and approval of Rupert Murdoch and his son, James Murdoch.

NGN vehemently denied the allegations, stating that they were a malicious and dishonest attack on their reputation. According to a spokesperson, the claims had no connection to their efforts to provide compensation to victims of phone hacking or illegal information gathering.

The spokesperson further explained that some of the accusations dated back three decades and were not relevant to the current disputes between the parties.

The high-profile lawsuit poses a threat to Murdoch's legacy as he nears the end of his career. This comes after a series of damaging lawsuits against Fox News, the most profitable part of his global media empire.

The case in the U.K., scheduled for trial early next year, could have significant consequences that reach the U.S. Murdoch is at the heart of the lawsuit, with allegations also targeting his former deputy, Will Lewis, who now serves as the CEO and publisher of the Washington Post. It's important to note that Lewis has denied any wrongdoing.

The phone hacking scandal shook Murdoch’s media empire over ten years ago, marking a low point in the billionaire's career. At that time, NGN issued an apology to the victims, Murdoch closed down the popular News of the World, and the company has since resolved numerous legal cases related to the scandal.

Illegal phone hacking was not limited to Murdoch’s U.K. publications. The unethical behavior extended to other media outlets, with the country's aggressive tabloid press going to great lengths to uncover celebrity scandals. Recently, a court found that Prince Harry was also a victim of "extensive" phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers. Additionally, Harry is currently taking legal action against the publisher of the Daily Mail. He also revealed that Murdoch’s newspapers paid his brother, Prince William, a "significant amount" to settle hacking allegations.

NGN expressed its desire to finally resolve its long-standing scandal on Wednesday. "These proceedings have been ongoing for over fifteen years," a spokesperson stated, emphasizing NGN's goal to put an end to the situation.

Editor's P/S:

The ongoing