News Corp.’s British publishing unit faces 46 more civil lawsuits related to phone hacking at the now-shuttered News of the World tabloid, pushing the total number of cases past 100.
And it's still not over. Hugh Tomlinson, who is representing many of the hacking victims, told the High Court in London Friday that it should expect more cases in the future, as well.
News International, the media conglomerate’s U.K. publishing outfit, has been a constant target for legal action since the hacking story turned into an international scandal last July.
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The spark was the revelation that News of the World reporters hacked into the cell phone of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and later killed in 2002.
Since, Scotland Yard has since identified more than 1,000 likely victims, and in a filing earlier this month News Corp.’s tabloid newspaper division said it has spent $38 million in legal fees and damages related to civil lawsuits. That is just a fraction of what the company has had to spend in closing the News of the World and other legal fees related to the hacking investigation.
News International already has settled some 60 cases, including ones with celebrities like Jude Law and Charlotte Church.