News Corp. Asks To Keep Allegations In Phone-Hacking Case Secret

News Corp.’s British publishing unit asked a judge to keep secret a series of new claims being made by victims of phone hacking at its News of the World tabloid in preparation for a group trial scheduled for February.

The details of the allegations, which could be used to seek punitive damages, should be kept from the public unless they are approved at a Sept. 7 hearing and added to the victims’ so- called generic claims, Judge Geoffrey Vos said in London. The claims outline “generalized activities which we think are unsustainable” if challenged, Michael Silverleaf, the lawyer for the News International unit, said at the hearing. “They may change the approach we are taking” to the case. The amended allegations reveal “a need for a proper debate about the scope of the case,” said Jeremy Reed, a lawyer for at least 50 victims. Reed has said the number of claimants may double before the trial.