Murdoch firm settles 9 more hacking lawsuits [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

February 8, 2012 6:20 AM

Murdoch firm settles 9 more hacking lawsuits

(AP) LONDON — Rupert Murdoch's News International has settled nearly all the cases against the company in the first wave of lawsuits for phone hacking by its journalists, with a new round of apologies and payouts announced Wednesday in a London court.

But a potentially damaging claim lodged by British singer Charlotte Church is still headed to trial later this month and a wave of new lawsuits — as many as 56 in all — is looming, lawyers told London's High Court.

News International, a division of News Corp., has tried hard to keep phone hacking cases from going to trial, launching its own compensation program overseen by a respected former judge and paying out millions of pounds (dollars) in all in out-of-court settlements for about 60 cases.

On Wednesday, lawyers announced that nine more lawsuits filed on behalf of about a dozen different people had been settled, including cases brought by comedian Steve Coogan, former soccer star Paul Gascoigne and maverick lawmaker George Galloway.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57373066/rupert-murdochs-company-settles-9-lawsuits/