Phone hacking: Sienna Miller accepts £100,000 from News of the World

Actor is first celebrity to settle claim since tabloid admitted hacking several public figures’ voicemail messages Actor Sienna Miller accepted £100,000 compensation from News of the World on Friday after the paper accepted unconditional liability for all her phone-hacking claims. The unexpected agreement came mid-way through a high court battle with the paper. Miller is the first celebrity to settle their claim since the tabloid, part of Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), admitted hacking the phones of several public figures. Miller had originally demanded £400,000 in damages over the hacking. Michael Silverleaf QC, NGN’s barrister, previously told the court that this was “ludicrous” sum. The actor has always insisted that she was not concerned with the financial aspect of the settlement. “The crucial point in our view is to know the extent of the wrongdoing,” said Hugh Tomlinson QC, Miller’s barrister. He added that she had made the last-minute agreement “precisely because all her claims have been admitted [comprising] misuse of private information, breach of confidence, publication of articles derived from voicemail hacking and a course of conduct of harassment over a period of 12 months as resulting from all that. “Her primary concern is not how much money is rewarded by way of compensation but what the extent was of the hacking that took place,” he said. “What she wants is to have is disclosure and proper answers from the News of the World as to what took place so she can have effective non-monetary relief and can be properly compensated,” Tomlinson said. Silverleaf told the high court that the story about her troubled relationship with fellow actor Jude Law that had been published after her voicemail was hacked was merely “hurtful” to the 29-year-old celebrity. He said £100,000 was fair because it was more than what she would receive if she had suffered a “life-changing experience” such as the loss of an eye or facial scarring. “What she wants is a public inquiry that goes beyond what the remedy in civil law provides,” Silverleaf added. “The complainant’s career, reputation or life has not been affected in the long term. She said she was upset at the time. She does not suggest she suffered any long-term harm, there is no suggestion in the pleading.” At least 24 breach of privacy claims have now been lodged against the News of the World by celebrities. They all believe their mobile phone voicemails were eavesdropped using stolen information such as pin codes obtained by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator working for the paper. The newspaper has admitted hacking at least eight public figures’ voicemails. Rupert Murdoch’s News International announced last month it was setting up a £20m compensation fund. A News International spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that we have managed to bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion. Several weeks ago we admitted liability in certain cases and offered a genuine and unreserved apology. We hope to resolve other cases swiftly. “For the record, reports that we have been ordered to disclose 8,000 emails to Ms Miller are inaccurate. The error stems from a reference in court to the fact that a total of 8,000 emails were being searched to ascertain whether any Sienna Miller related material was amongst them.” A statement from both Miller and NGN will be read to the court at a hearing next Friday. •

Posted by on May 13, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.