Suits Against News Corp. Rise as Probe Goes On

The amount of civil litigation that News Corp. faces related to alleged phone hacking continues to grow.

About 35 privacy-invasion lawsuits have been filed against News of the World, the tabloid at the center of the phone-hacking scandal. That is up from about two dozen in April. News Corp.'s U.K .newspaper unit, News International, has set aside about £15 million to £20 million ($24.4 million to $32.6 million) to cover civil litigation. That figure includes funding for a compensation program for victims seeking settlements. News International in April admitted liability in eight civil suits. But only two suits have been settled or otherwise resolved. News Corp. last month closed the 168-year old News of the World.