Rupert Murdoch and Fleet Street wanted people to believe that the end of the Leveson Inquiry was the end of journalists’ phone-hacking and unethical/illegal dealings for information. The Leveson Inquiry was not the end though – many of the British media’s victims kept fighting and fighting, through years of legal back-and-forth and lawsuits and threats and millions of dollars in legal fees. This week, News Group Newspapers (Murdoch’s outfit) settled with several high-profile victims, including Sienna Miller. From 2003-2006, Sienna was the British It Girl and she sold a lot of papers. Many of those stories were based on hacking her phone, paying off people in her doctor’s office for information, and paying off some of her friends to spy on her. Sienna has been one of the “faces” of the phone-hacking scandal for years, and this week, she got a substantial settlement.
Actor Sienna Miller on Thursday accepted “substantial” damages from the publisher of British tabloid newspaper The Sun, which she accuses of hacking her phone and leaking news of her pregnancy. Miller joins a list of dozens of people who have received payments from News Group Newspapers over illegal eavesdropping that took place over a decade ago.
News Group Newspapers has paid millions of pounds to settle lawsuits from hacking victims. Most of the cases have involved the now-defunct News of the World, which was shut down by owner Rupert Murdoch in 2011 after revelations that its employees had snooped on the voice mails of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims in search of scoops. News Group Newspapers has acknowledged hacking by the News of the World, but not by The Sun, which continues to operate.
Nonetheless Miller, 39, said she felt “fully vindicated” after the publisher agreed to pay her undisclosed “substantial damages” without admitting liability. Outside court, Miller said journalists and management at the newspaper “very nearly ruined my life. I have certainly seen how they have ruined the lives of others.”
“Their behavior shattered me, damaged my reputation — at times beyond repair — and caused me to accuse my family and friends of selling information that catapulted me into a state of intense paranoia and fear,” said Miller, who was a British tabloid fixture during her relationship with fellow actor Jude Law in the early 2000s. Miller’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said the payment was “tantamount to an admission of liability” by The Sun. The lawyer said Miller “was the subject of intense media scrutiny and serious intrusion into her private life from around 2003. In particular, The Sun published numerous intrusive stories about her that contained intimate private details about her relationships and feelings and even her confidential medical information.”
He said Miller accused the then editor of The Sun, Rebekah Brooks, and others of leaking the news of her pregnancy, a leak that had “led her to being unable to trust those closest to her when she really needed them.”
Sienna and her lawyer did a press conference outside the courthouse where they accepted the settlement, which I sincerely hope was eight figures. Sienna told the reporters there that she didn’t really want to settle, that she hoped to continue pushing News Group Newspapers to trial, but that it would have taken years and millions of dollars to pursue this further. She said she hoped someone with more money could take these f–kers to trial. A lot of people were like: Enter Prince Harry. Harry is still part of the group of hacking victims who are still suing Murdoch’s outfit and pushing for a trial.
Actress Sienna Miller claimed The Sun newspaper tried to 'profit from her misery' and 'brutally took away her choice' by allegedly leaking that she was pregnant.
Read more here: https://t.co/CJIAGnsDVI pic.twitter.com/wqbOWbEXPg
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 9, 2021
Sienna Miller – balls of steel. Heroine. https://t.co/wWrnL2WyOD
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) December 9, 2021
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
Good for Sienna. I saw a few people being upset that Harry’s name was being inserted in this but either they don’t know or weren’t following that he’s refusing to settle the case with the Sun and Mirror and it’s likely to go to court next year.
I see no difference between the UK tabloids and the maffia. And that Rebecca Brooks woman keeps popping up in stories similar to this one. She was also named (i think) in byline’s article stating that the tabloids hired a private investigator to dig into Meghan and he managed to get her social security number.
As for people pointing at harry to finish the job… lets not put that burden on him shall we? If he wants to settle he should settle. If he wants his day in court he should push for a trial. Harry might be rich but im pretty sure he doesn’t have more money that Rupert Murdoch. So we’ll see where his case goes.
The mafia doesn’t go after children…that’s the difference I guess.
The Mafia does go after children. There was a case of a 12 year old boy who was kidnapped to keep his father quiet. He was later murdered and his body was melted in acid in other hide the crime. The tabloids are a sort of mafia that ruins life, but the real mafia is something absolutely terrifying.
I just…now I root for Daniel Cleaver anytime I watch Bridget Jones’s Diary. Hugh Grant, the human, is turning out fantastic!
I can’t imagine the damage to her close relationships because of suspicions. Horrible. How is any of this news on celebs worth all this?? I generally like positive stories stories about my faves, usually which they share or plant, so I don’t get digging for dirt and exposing medical information for heavens sake! I know detractors may like this type of news, but they rarely detract on their own, they are sold a narrative by tabloid media.
Yeah, that’s gross and not something to celebrate (it also just reminded me of men who still gleefully refer to that hack fom a few years ago as “the fappenning”). Good for her.
Both of the headlines I have read now from British papers about Sienna’s victory focus on the media’s role in forcing her to make a decision about her pregnancy.
Am I alone in reading this as an appeal to a conservative audience, that they are implying the Sun was kind of heroic for “making” Sienna the party girl keep her baby?
We waited months before telling anybody about my pregnancy due to fear of another miscarriage. I was afraid that speaking the words out loud, showing my joy, would somehow bring the evil eye upon us. F*CK anyone that makes that decision for anyone else.
If that is the angle they are going for than they are even more demonic than i thought. A mother and her partner should fully be allowed to make a pregnancy announcement whenever they damn well want to. Whether it is immediately after finding out, after the 3 month mark, or after the baby already has been born. F*ck the sun forever for revealing such intimate information and taking the choice away from Sienna.
Her daughter was born in 2012 so it wasn’t this pregnancy they were talking about.
I have a vague memory of this – I think it may have been around the time Jude Law cheated on her with his children by Sadie Frost’s nanny and so Sienna ended their relationship and, presumably, terminated the pregnancy.
Thanks for that, @shazbot, I should have looked up the timeline before I spoke.
Still, my heart hurts even more that she had to make such a decision under tabloid scrutiny, and probably couldn’t be sure who to trust.
Leaking news about a pregnancy is horribly invasive, it’s such a personal matter.
Not according to the British press, it’s in the public’s interest.
Their responses in regards to these actions as they are of the public interests are the same twisted views they all hold regarding a person that they have decided to attack and to persecute in the public is a level of unprofessional and immoral that no one should stand behind or accept. How Murdoch has been able to operate his papers in this manner for decades so that he can continue to grow his wealth tells everyone what type of person he is.
I don’t understand how their aren’t laws to protect the citizens and why there aren’t criminal charges against all of them. How can they keep perpetuating these crimes without their being criminal charges?
@BothSidesNow, it is very putrid of the Murdoch media and all the others to be so invasive of matters that are not recognizable for the public’s need to know. I would love someone to go into a deep dive of all these reporters, media owners deep dark financials and secrets. Sienna, while she was/is a celebrity, isn’t a politician, head of state, policy maker or media mogul. Rothermere is guilty of the same things. You would think he would show more understanding considering the British Media/tabloids used to have field days with his mother. ‘death by misadventure’
http://tdclassicist.blogspot.com/2014/04/bubbles-rothermere.html
Who is really responsible here ? The press or the public ? If the public wasn’t consuming this garbage would the press engage in these despicable acts? Is the press just giving the public what they want ? Or has the press fundamentally changed the UK?
When I think of the press and public reactions to Meghan and Harry, I think they are both one and the same!
We have a tabloid press in the US b it no respectable newspapers or shows will invite their garbage on their channel … England is just so different!
Anyway to each their own I guess
There is blame to go around but the press is the one who committed an illegal act so I’m curious, where are the criminal charges in this? There are many members of the public who have an appetite for things they are not allowed legally to have. That doesn’t make it okay to supply said things.
I think we can ask ourselves the same thing. My husband and I have always held the belief that if the news agencies would stop printing and/or reporting on everything that Trumpolini said or did he wouldn’t have a platform to spew his hatred and his constant lies.
The only thing that the press should report is the ongoing investigation against him, his criminal administration and his entire criminal family. That and when he is taken away in handcuffs, along with the rest of them!
You know what’s worse than announcing a pregnancy before the person is ready? Taking ilegal pictures of the ultrasounds through an open window, like they did to Evan Rachel Wood.
Don’t make this into a UK vs US people, the public takes what the tabloids offer them without knowing were the information is coming. I’m sure no one agrees with these practices.
@VS, the pattern I’ve seen for a long time, especially with any tabloid press-the UK is more egregious in this-is that they are giving out answers/information to questions NOT being asked. Salaciously. They then seem to obsufcate/ignore the actual true questions being asked by the public. The Duchess of Sussex is an excellent example of the abuses done by the British Media. Avocados, crying, tiaragate, pantyhose, baby showers, etc.,? Really? Yet, a female being found dead at the Kensington Circle Pond goes unsolved and disappeared in the BM reporting. Make that 2-one also happened in 2010/2011?.
I don’t know that Sienna really feels fully vindicated. Her privacy was seriously violated. She may have hope now that the duplicitous nature of the tabloid press will further be exposed with greater legal consequences.imo
Did the people who settled really do so because of lack of funds? I would think if they all banded together with a lawsuit that wouldn’t be a problem with such a clear-cut case. I think the majority are afraid to go after the tabloids in a big way because of what Meghan was threatened with, retaliation. It’s easy enough to say let the next guy do it.
As we saw with Meghan, these lawsuits can cost literal millions and go on for years. Even if everyone came together and contributed to the case they may not want to spend their money on a case even if they do win.
Plus as you say and again, we saw with Meghan, tabloids do lash out and twist facts to make headlines so I don’t blame a lot of people for taking a decent settlement and living their life in peace. Not everyone wants to or has the patience/will to sit through tabloid attacks and that’s perfectly okay.
Good for her for getting paid. I understand her point about wanting to continue but the time involved and the cost (financial AND emotional) to continue just being too much for her at this point.
I agree!! You hear the same remarks in regards to people in criminal court regarding victims and their families when then discuss settling against the perpetrator of violent crimes. The emotional toll is too great of a burden to carry again.
This reminds me of the reason Kristin Scott Thomas doesn’t live in Britain. She stated many, many years ago why she refuses to live in Britain, whereas France protects its citizens.
It’s good that she’s getting paid, but it can’t erase what happened to her and others.
The damage is done. It must be so horrible not to be able to basically trust anyone and the world knowing everything about you. I can’t imagine.
Good for her, I watched the video last night and was really upset, it’s unbelievable that these people were ok ruining hers and other’s lives just to sell newspapers. She was not a corrupt politician, she didn’t commit any crime, they turned her into an it girl just to destroy her. Hopefully someone can set a precedent so this doesn’t happen again.
No words about those close to her that sold information.
There are a long list of celebs that were phone hacked or had PI snooping around causing these people to doubt close family and friends. Media was vocal about Meghan’s case restricting free speech last week because they take the ludicrous view that if you are famous that the deal is everything about you is of public interest!! I know Harry hasn’t settled and apparently does want to take this to court and maybe Sienna will get her chance to tell the impact this invasive crap had on her life. What must hurt Harry that it is one thing to be phone hacked by the tabs but a lot more horrendous to have your own brother give the nod to unleash a wave of insider stories attacking your wife. Harry wouldn’t have expected anything from a tabloid but to be repeatedly betrayed by your own staff, who are meant to be protecting Meghan as a newbie, at the behest of your own brother, wow that has got to hurt. I could not overlook that betrayal especially as it led to Meg having suicidal thoughts.
No amount of money can clear away what Sienna went through but I can’t help but compare the cheers for Sienna and other settlements announced yesterday with the headlines after Meghan’s settlement. Her stance about the lengths the ANL guys were willing to go through to print a personal letter to her father and drag her through court for 3 years for headlines were met with front page headlines that bordered on calling her a criminal who needed to be on the stand in court and accusing her of attacking a free press. But maybe everyone just needs to sit down to tea with their accusers and work out a deal.
Did the Leveson Inquiry result in any real changes? Doesn’t sound like it…