In a series of posts on social media platform “X” (formerly Twitter), British actor, Hugh Grant, confirmed that he has settled his on-going case against News Group Newspapers (“News Group”), which publish, inter alia, the Sun Newspaper. Grant has accepted the Defendant’s offer of settlement pursuant to Part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
Grant issued proceedings against News Group following allegations of phone hacking, unlawful information gathering, landline tapping and destruction of evidence against the News Group. All of those claims have been expressly denied by the Defendant. Grant commented on the settlement stating:
“As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court… If I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs.”
This case emphasises the power of an effective Part 36 offer which often act as a mechanism to protect a party’s position before the matter proceeds to trial.
If News Group had bettered its offer at trial, Grant would have been on the hook for its legal costs estimated to be in the region of £10 million. Ultimately, the potential adverse cost consequences were enough to compel Grant into acceptance of the offer.
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
