Murdoch pays up in bid to avoid trial

Lawyers acting for News International will today offer an unqualified apology to victims of phone hacking and announce that Rupert Murdoch's media group has settled dozens of claims linked to criminal activities at the News Of The World.

This follows months of legal manoeuvring by lawyers acting for the company, which is still aiming to halt a civil trial scheduled for next month and limit the continuing damage to the Murdoch brand.

News International lawyer Michael Silverleaf, QC, will get to his feet in Court 16 of the newly-opened Rolls Building at the High Court in London this morning to tell Justice Vos that 40 of a remaining 50 hacking victims have accepted offers to end their legal actions against the Murdoch empire.

They include Labour MP Chris Bryant and former soccer star Paul Gascoigne.

Others who have settled or are close to settling include Tony Blair's former communications chief, Alastair Campbell, disgraced former Labour MP Elliot Morley, Phil Hughes, the agent who represented football legend George Best, and Sheila Henry, whose son Christian Small was killed in the July 7, 2005 bomb attacks on London's transport network.

Lawyers close to the process said the two main law firms engaged in negotiations on behalf of News International, Linklaters and Olswang, were making "a final push" to prevent the civil trial scheduled for February 13 becoming an arena where more of the NOTW's dirty laundry is exposed.

The civil trial is intended to set out the blueprint for the level of financial compensation and legal costs for all civil actions brought against News International over illegal interception of voicemails.

Sixty-three cases were filed in the first wave of damages claims.

But after Scotland Yard disclosed last month that it had identified 803 victims, many more claims are expected to be decided in light of Vos' final ruling on the appropriate levels of damages.

- Independent