LONDON—A London court on Friday rejected an attempt by the publisher of The Sun tabloid to throw out a lawsuit by actor Hugh Grant alleging that journalists and investigators it hired illegally snooped on him.
Justice Timothy Fancourt said a trial will have to determine whether Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) carried out unlawful information gathering that included tapping Grant’s home phone, bugging his car, and breaking into his home.
“If true—which will be a matter for the trial due to take place in January 2024—these allegations would establish very serious, deliberate wrongdoing at NGN, conducted on an institutional basis on a huge scale,” Fancourt wrote. “Of particular relevance … they would also establish a concerted effort to conceal the wrongdoing by hiding and destroying relevant documentary evidence, repeated public denials, lies to regulators and authorities, and unwarranted threats to those who dared to make allegations or notify intended claims against The Sun.”…