Murdoch 'facing US legal action' (From Surrey Comet)

Murdoch 'facing US legal action'

10:58pm Sunday 12th February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2011

The solicitor representing the family of Milly Dowler as well as other alleged victims of phone hacking is taking his battle against Rupert Murdoch to America, it has emerged.

Mark Lewis, one of several lawyers representing clients pursuing claims against the News of the World for phone hacking, is expected to travel to the US within the next few weeks to meet with American lawyers about legal action in the country.

Mr Lewis was reported as being in the "advanced stages" of bringing at least one case against Mr Murdoch's company in the US.

Asked about the reports, he said he was "not prepared to deny" them.

The revelation comes after five senior journalists from The Sun were among eight people arrested over allegations of improper payments to police and public officials. A serving officer in Surrey Police, a Ministry of Defence employee and a serving officer in the Armed Forces were also detained by officers from Operation Elveden.

Mr Murdoch, chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, parent company of News International, which runs The Sun and The Times newspapers, is expected to fly to London to visit staff later this week.

On Saturday, News International chief executive Tom Mockridge emailed employees saying Mr Murdoch had personally reassured him of his "total commitment" to continue to own and publish The Sun.

Operation Elveden - which runs alongside the Met's Operation Weeting team - was launched as the phone-hacking scandal erupted last July with allegations about the now-defunct News of the World targeting Milly Dowler's mobile phone. It has now widened to include suspected corruption involving public officials as well as police officers.

The arrests of deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker, and John Sturgis, who is a news editor, sparked speculation that the red top would go the same way as the News of the World. They followed the arrests two weeks ago of four current and former Sun employees, as well as a police officer. On Saturday night, all eight people arrested yesterday were released on bail.

A leaked memo from Tom Mockridge, chief executive of News International - part of News Corp - to staff said that Mr Murdoch had personally assured him of his "total commitment to continue to own and publish" the paper.