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. •
Continue reading …Heart-throb actor Matthew Perry has announced plans to “go away” for a month to focus on sobriety and his ongoing battle with substance abuse. Perry hasn’t suffered a relapse, but is taking the step as a proactive measure, sources tell TMZ . Perry said in a statement that his time away…
Continue reading …Lady Gaga Reveals Her Fashion InspirationsTheGossipWire … Milla Jovovich Travels With Her Louis Vuitton Suitcase · BREAKING NEWS: John Galliano’s trial date is set · BREAKING NEWS: John Galliano’s trial date is set · HOLLYWOOD SPOTTINGS: Christina Milian, Reggie Bush, Meagan Good, & More … Gather: 'Top Model All-Star' Competitors Announced | Botox for … John Galliano’s Trial Date Set for June 22. Judiciary officials announced details of the trial in Paris this morning. Young’uns · See the Best Looks From Parsons’ Graduating Class. One of these kids might be the next Marc Jacobs or … Lady Gaga is a coked-out “librarian of glam culture”TheGossipWire … Milla Jovovich Travels With Her Louis Vuitton Suitcase · BREAKING NEWS: John Galliano’s trial date is set · BREAKING NEWS: John Galliano’s trial date is set · HOLLYWOOD SPOTTINGS: Christina Milian, Reggie Bush, Meagan Good, & More … armorsoul says: John Galliano Trial Set for June 22: Designer to face charge of public insult at High Court in Paris. The judgme… http://bit.ly/lHMecs
Continue reading …Angelina Jolie’s tattoo tribute to Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie’s Tattoo for Brad Pitt Mariah Carey’s Twins, Katy & Russell, and Another Child for Angelina? Angelina Jolie – News & Schlagzeilen – Nachrichtensuche Angelina Jolie: Tattoo verrät Geburtsort von Brad · Krone.at – Gestern, 15:00 Uhr in Meldungen. Viel ist spekuliert und gerätselt worden, als Anfang April das erste Mal Fotos aufgetaucht waren, die eine neue … Angelina Jolie – News & Schlagzeilen – Nachrichtensuche Angelina Jolie: Tattoo verrät Geburtsort von Brad · Krone.at – Vor 6 Stunden in Meldungen. Viel ist spekuliert und gerätselt worden, als Anfang April das erste Mal Fotos aufgetaucht waren, die eine neue Zeile im … DialaCosmas says: Angelina Jolie new tattoo on arm is Brad Pitt's birthplace! http://bit.ly/mTuE1P
Continue reading …Here’s California congressional candidate ( and Michael Eisner favorite !) Dan Adler playing the race card to great comedic effect: Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Reason Magazine – Hit & Run Discovery Date : 12/05/2011 21:59 Number of articles : 5
Continue reading …Crown prince and princess try to comfort relatives of Lorca earthquake victims, and PM pledges to help city rebuild Spain’s prime minister and the crown prince and princess have attended a crowded funeral mass for victims of Spain’s deadliest earthquakes in more than 50 years . Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia hugged and shook hands with relatives of the nine people killed in Wednesday’s twin tremors in Lorca. At one point the prince stooped down to speak to a boy and affectionately ruffled his hair. The prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, earlier toured the city to see the widespread damage that forced an estimated 3,000 people to spend another night sleeping in tents in makeshift camps. He said the government would help the city rebuild and return to normal as soon as possible. “It is my conviction that we are going to meet this test. The earthquake was hard and strong. But this country is stronger. Its desire for solidarity and reconstruction are stronger.” The Spanish cabinet approved an emergency aid programme for people who lost their homes or businesses. The plan includes money for people to rent elsewhere while their homes are repaired or rebuilt, and €25m (£30m) in credit lines for people to repair their places of business, farms, factories or vehicles. There were four coffins at the funeral mass, in part because some of the families of the deceased wanted private funerals, officials said. Lorca’s mayor said on Thursday that more than half of the 550 buildings inspected so far by engineers and architects were uninhabitable. Spain José Luis Zapatero Natural disasters and extreme weather Europe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …San Jose edged Detroit 3-2 in Game 7 of their NHL Western Conference semifinal to win the series after giving up a three-games-to-none lead. (May 13)
Continue reading …Organizers called for the reinstatement of the state’s “Millionaire Tax,” and ending subsidies for companies that don’t actually create jobs. They called for Bloomberg to “make the banks pay”: Thousands of teachers, social workers, union members and more took part in a march Thursday against Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plans for wide-ranging budget cuts — and against the Wall Street bankers they blame for the city’s budget woes. Activists reported that the NYPD had arrested several marchers, but the demonstration took on a mostly joyful cast, with colorful signs, raucous chants and even a stilt-walker. The May 12 Coalition’s organizers promised a big turnout of more than 10,000 marchers, and while immediately pinning down the crowd’s size proved difficult, at least that number turned out. Demonstrators from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) alone, which faces more than 4,000 teacher cuts if Bloomberg’s budget is enacted as is, numbered in the thousands. Rev. Al Sharpton, UFT President Michael Mulgrew and an array of city councilmembers and state elected officials laid the blame for the budget cuts squarely at Bloomberg and Wall Street’s feet. “Wall Street recovered, hedge funds got stimulated, and now they want to lay off teachers and close day care centers,” Sharpton said. “We’re going where they sent the money,” he said of the march.
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