Andy Coulson, the Met Police and Murdoch

[laptop]

The BBC's business editor Robert Peston called it an "absolutely dramatic development". He said the company believed most claims will be settled for less than £100,000 each.

"I understand the company's hope would be that in total it will pay out less than £20m," he added.

There are 24 active cases...

...celebrity publicist Max Clifford, who received a reported £1m.

Fat chance of keeping it to £20M, then

 

[ymu]

There's over 3k names on the lists.

And the courts should surely set punitive damages at the same sort of level as the hush money paid out to early complainants?

 

[agricola]

There's over 3k names on the lists.

And the courts should surely set punitive damages at the same sort of level as the hush money paid out to early complainants?

And thats just the NOTW. Max Clifford is on BBC News 24 now pointing out (as Nick Davies did in Flat Earth News, and as many have done on this thread already) that this is in no way limited to the Murdoch papers.

 

[ymu]

Indeed. Bankrupting all of them would be nice, but bankrupting NewsCorp would be especially sweet.

 

[Santino]

I seem to recall Prescott saying that he didn't need the money and so wouldn't be settling for compensation, so we'll see how that plays out.

 

[Gingerman]

NOW admits liability http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13014161

Def trying to draw a line in the sand,the drip drip effect ob hurting them,hope it dos'nt work

 

[ymu]

I seem to recall Prescott saying that he didn't need the money and so wouldn't be settling for compensation, so we'll see how that plays out.

It's hard to see how they can settle any more out of court - well, they can, but the cat is already out of the bag. Would money-grubbing celebs settle for less than the half million to a million mark to keep them out of court?

And if damages were to be awarded via court proceedings, would they decide to use the hush money settlements as a suitable guide to the appropriate amount?

And how many of the several thousand names on their lists would be part of a class action.

 

[shagnasty]

Fat chance of keeping it to £20M, then

That's what i think what sort of money can they afford .If say one victim accepts 500,000 will the others aim for that or more.If murdoch thinks this is the end i think he is mistaken

 

[laptop]

class action.

I had to look up last month what "class action" means in the UK, for other reasons. Answer: not much.

The point of a US-style "class action" is that it can represent an entire class of claimants, named or unnamed - "everyone who had their phone tapped by order of News International," or "everyone mentioned on Mulcaire's lists," say.

A UK "group action" covers only those who specifically sign up to it. The point there would be to minimise the legal fees (for some mind-boggling value of "minimal") on both sides.

Now, if you're a sleb, and you can face the up-front costs, the more effective tactic would seem to be to bring a separate action.

You're saying to Murdoch: "you can give me a million now, or you can spend a million fighting it to the Supreme Court and then give me £800,000 and my costs as well".

 

[ymu]

Cheers.

I can't see the courts allowing zillions of individual cases though. Presumably they can force a group action?

 

[laptop]

I can't see the courts allowing zillions of individual cases though. Presumably they can force a group action?

"But then, Mr Murdoch, we feel we have a strong case that we have a distinct interest from the other claimants. We could appeal that... another £200k each side, say?"

The law - especially the civil law - resembles poker more than anything

 

[audiotech]

'George Galloway claims to have seen evidence his phone was tapped.'

http://video.stv.tv/bc/news-election-galloway-20110406/

 

[shagnasty]

'George Galloway claims to have seen evidence his phone was tapped.'

http://video.stv.tv/bc/news-election-galloway-20110406/

According to that interview george says he as been offered money,which is very interesting

 

[stethoscope]

Victims of phone hacking by the News of the World have rejected an apology from News International, amid reports further arrests over the scandal are likely.

The newspaper published a prominent public apology on page two of its print edition today, but the move – which came two days after the parent company issued a similar statement – showed no sign of calming the fury of those affected.

Lawyers for Sienna Miller, one of the most prominent admitted victims – said she had not accepted any offer of a settlement over the "outrageous violation of her privacy".

Former MP George Galloway, who says he has seen proof that his phone was hacked, dismissed the apology as "a cynical attempt to protect the company's chief executive", Rebekah Brooks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/10/now-phone-hacking-reject-apology

Meanwhile...

Rupert Murdoch used his political influence and contacts at the highest levels to try to get Labour MPs and peers to back away from investigations into phone hacking at the News of the World, a former minister in Gordon Brown's government has told the Observer.

The ex-minister, who does not want to be named, says he is aware of evidence that Murdoch, the chairman of News Corporation, relayed messages to Brown last year via a third party, urging him to help take the political heat out of the row, which he felt was in danger of damaging his company.

Brown, who stepped down as prime minister after last May's general election defeat for Labour, has refused to comment on the claim, but has not denied it. It is believed that contacts were made before he left No 10. The minister said: "What I know is that Murdoch got in touch with a good friend who then got in touch with Brown. The intention was to get him to cool things down. That is what I was told."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/09/phone-hacking-rupert-murdoch-gordon-brown


Trying to offer cash settlements isn't going to make it go away Murdoch!

 

[Balbi]

Is that the sound of Great Birnam wood marching on Wapping?

 

[rikwakefield]

I fucking love it.

 

[Santino]

Christ almighty:

Sir Gus O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, blocked an attempt by Gordon Brown before the general election to hold a judicial inquiry into allegations that the News of the World had hacked into the phones of cabinet ministers and other high-profile figures.

As News International prepares to pay compensation to victims of the illegal practice, the Guardian understands that Britain's most senior civil servant took steps to prevent an inquiry on the grounds that it would be too sensitive before last year's general election.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/10/gordon-brown-hacking-inquiry-civil-service

 

[MellySingsDoom]

Well well, what a surprise. Murdoch leans on UK Government to get his own way. Doubtless Broon bottled a confronation with the Australian one, for fear of losing the Murdoch support. Murdoch the organ grinder, UK Gov the monkey. Need anyone say more?

 

[Gingerman]

Gets murkier and murkier ,got a feeling NI's appol and compensation ain't going to bring an end to the saga

 

[Dave Mullen]

It looks as if N.I. are getting more desperate each day. I strongly suspect that there is more to come out. Seems like Coulson is getting hung out to dry. There is also the potential that he can be done for perjury in respect of his evidence at the Sheridan trial, althhough

I am quite concerned however that I agreed with what Boris had to say on the matter but I suspect he is only doing that to distance himself from his Bullingdon club mate in the run up to the mayoral election next year.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Christ almighty:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/10/gordon-brown-hacking-inquiry-civil-service

Its almost as if they didn't want to win the election.

 

[newbie]

the NOTW is only part of this. Yates is squirming because of his evidence in front of the select committee. Although currently a side-story, there's a a separate investigation going on into how much the police have been feeding to the newspapers (papers, this isn't just one bad apple). In many ways that- and the political influence wielded to cover up the NOTW story- and more serious than watching Murdoch wriggle because his hacks tried to find out about the sex life of some actress.

John Sergeant was on Question Time on Friday saying that many years ago a tabloid went though his rubbish bin and came up with some allegations, so he went to the police and the detail of his complaint was all over the papers the next day.

For myself I'm far less concerned about the NOTW exposing sleb hypocrisy, by whatever dodgy subterfuge or 'hacking' (= dialing someone's voicemail and discovering they didn't set a password )- there's a strong case that is in the public interest in the widest sense- than I am about the police having such a cosy, and paid, relationship with journalists. That, after all, is how so many stories appear about suspects to some front page case, on the very edge of legality and to my mind, highly prejudicial to any subsequent trail. Think about that landlord bloke arrested but not charged in Bristol a few weeks back.

 

[Santino]

For myself I'm far less concerned about the NOTW exposing sleb hypocrisy, by whatever dodgy subterfuge or 'hacking' (= dialing someone's voicemail and discovering they didn't set a password )- there's a strong case that is in the public interest in the widest sense-

Bollocks. This isn't just about celebrities, it's about a media organisation stealing information from government ministers responsible for regulating and overseeing that media organisation. And, if the rumours are to be believed, it's about a media organisation hacking the phones of the families of children who have been murdered.

 

[laptop]

Doubtless Broon bottled a confronation with the Australian one, for fear of losing the Murdoch support.

He'd already lost it, hadn't he?

Mind, if they'd gone ahead, the entire election would have been Brown -v- Murdoch dirt-fest.

And then they'd have faced the risk of winning...

 

[coltrane]

Meanwhile...

Rupert Murdoch used his political influence and contacts at the highest levels to try to get Labour MPs and peers to back away from investigations into phone hacking at the News of the World, a former minister in Gordon Brown's government has told the Observer.

The ex-minister, who does not want to be named, says he is aware of evidence that Murdoch, the chairman of News Corporation, relayed messages to Brown last year via a third party, urging him to help take the political heat out of the row, which he felt was in danger of damaging his company.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/09/phone-hacking-rupert-murdoch-gordon-brown


Trying to offer cash settlements isn't going to make it go away Murdoch!

There was a NOTW hack on Radio 5 Live yesterday morning chatting about news in general.

The NOTW's damage limitation exercise sincere apology on Page 2 was brought up.

The ex-minister's allegation in the Observer, that Murdoch leaned on Brown to go easy on NOTW, was airily dismissed by the NOTW hack as an "unnamed source". I choked on my toast i was laughing so much.

 

[ymu]

Bollocks. This isn't just about celebrities, it's about a media organisation stealing information from government ministers responsible for regulating and overseeing that media organisation. And, if the rumours are to be believed, it's about a media organisation hacking the phones of the families of children who have been murdered.

I think it has quite a lot to do with the police selling them information and then not investigating the allegations against them, too.

 

[newbie]

Bollocks. This isn't just about celebrities, it's about a media organisation stealing information from government ministers responsible for regulating and overseeing that media organisation.

personally I'm in favour of media scrutiny of politicians.

I'm also in favour of scrutiny of the media, by both politicians and other media.

And, if the rumours are to be believed, it's about a media organisation hacking the phones of the families of children who have been murdered.

That's a rumour I haven't heard.

However, one story I did read last week involved a woman whose flatmate had an email conversation about her sex life, which was then copied across the internet and reproduced for me to read in the Metro & Sun, with photos. The treatment she received was outrageous and there is no excuse whatsoever for treating her the way they did. The same is quite possibly true of the family you mention. But phone hacking had nothing to do with her story, and the fact that it was used against the family isn't particularly crucial.

The mechanisms by which the tabloids get their stories vary and sometimes they get something important, like the fake sheik nailing that Ferguson woman for selling access to "prince" Andrew the dodgy arms dealer (who is currently in Indonesia flogging jets to the regime so they can put down their dissidents) and sometimes they target, and hurt, ordinary people, people who've done nothing at all to put themselves into the public eye. Ensuring press freedom while in some way protecting those who deserve protection is a serious issue, but it's not one that revolves around phone hacking.

If the News of the World didn't exist we'd have to invent it.

 

[newbie]

Bollocks. This isn't just about celebrities, it's about a media organisation stealing information from government ministers responsible for regulating and overseeing that media organisation.

btw do you mean Jowell, the ex minister whose hubby, sorry estranged hubby, is currently on trial for being a mafia bagman? If so she deserves everything she gets and a whole lot more.

 

[shagnasty]

The police behavour in the investigation and relation to NI, is quite rightly coming to the fore

 

[DexterTCN]

Good.

George Galloway was pointing out that he was an MP when hacked so it's contempt of parliament. Didn't that business minister say this stuff couldn't be taken into account for the bsb bid?