News Corp. Faces Wave of Phone-Hacking Cases

Lawyers for both News Corp. and phone-hacking victims estimated in court that the media company could ultimately face about 500 civil claims related to illegal voice-mail interception by the now-closed News of the World tabloid.

That is about 400 more cases than have been filed or settle so far. So far, claimants have filed roughly 110 lawsuits against the company related to illicit reporting tactics by the News of the World. The media company has settled more than half of those, including high-profile cases brought by singer Charlotte Church, actor Jude Law and comedian Steve Coogan. The settlement amounts have varied, with Ms. Church receiving one of the largest payouts, at £600,000 ($924,360). But in a court hearing related to the continuing civil litigation on Friday, attorneys for both sides said they expect the total number of cases to continue growing.