Hugh Grant to take The Sun to trial over damages claim

A High Court judge has approved Hugh Grant's damages claim against media outlet The Sun and will now be battling it out in the courtroom.

Grant stated that he was the victim of  the outlet, that is part of The News Group Newspapers [NGN], alleging that his privacy was violated.

He has also previously settled one suit in 2012 in that suit, the News of The World’s publisher was against Grant.

The News Group refuted any activity that was illegal on behalf of The Sun.

It had a bid to have Hugh and a claim by the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, dismissed at a hearing but it emerged that both suits were late to be launched.

However, on Friday, Mr. Justice Fancourt ruled against these claims by The Group and it said that Grant's claims would go to trial with the exception of his phone hacking allegations.

The judge ruled that the phone hacking claim could have been brought much sooner hence it was no longer possible to take it to trial.

The judge said,

"It was only on seeing invoices disclosed in NGN’s generic disclosure in 2021 that Mr Grant believed that private investigators (PIs) had been instructed by The Sun to target him in various ways, particularly in 2011.

"Although Mr Grant was aware prior to March 2016 of general allegations about use of PIs to obtain information, there is in my judgment a realistic chance that Mr Grant may establish at trial that, although he was aware of general allegations and was suspicious, he could not reasonably have believed with sufficient confidence that he may have been targeted by PIs instructed by The Sun in some of the relevant ways.

"Sufficient knowledge or belief that NGN’s denials of phone-hacking were false does not necessarily mean that Mr Grant believed at that time that NGN had used different methods of UIG targeted at him. That issue will have to be tried.”

Prince Harry's claim is still undecided as following a hearing in July.

 His case could be changed to include the claims he has done against his family and the News Group's collaboration.

The News Group said, "NGN is pleased that, following our application, the High Court has ruled that Mr Grant is statute barred from bringing a phone hacking claim against The Sun.

"The remainder of his claim, which has been brought following a statement made by (private investigator) Mr Gavin Burrows in 2021, has been allowed to proceed to trial. NGN strongly denies the various historical allegations of unlawful information-gathering contained in what remains of Mr Grant’s claim."

In a statement issued by Grant's attorney, he said: "I am pleased that my case will be allowed to go to trial, which is what I have always wanted – because it is necessary that the truth comes out about the activities of The Sun.

"As my case makes clear, the allegations go far wider and deeper than voicemail interception."