News International to 'vigorously contest' Mulcaire lawsuit

News International will "vigorously contest" a lawsuit filed by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in relation to his legal fees, a spokesperson for the company said today (19 August).

Mulcaire is suing News International, publisher of the now-closed News of the World, over the company's decision to stop paying his fees in a number of ongoing cases in which he is a defendant.

The company announced in July that it would cease paying Mulcaire's fees after the chairman of parent company News Corp Rupert Murdoch faced questions about the issue in a select committee hearing.

Evidence submitted to the committee earlier this month by Murdoch's son James, who is chairman of News International, states the company has paid £246,000 in legal fees for Mulcaire already.

Mulcaire has filed papers at the Chancery division of the high court, his lawyer confirmed today.

The former News of the World private investigator is a defendant in a number of civil cases brought against him by celebrities who believe he was responsible for hacking their phones, including comedian Steve Coogan.

According to a report in the Guardian, Coogan's legal action against Mulcaire has resulted in the private detective being ordered by a court to reveal who instructed him to access the voicemails of model Elle Macpherson and five other public figures.

Mulcaire is reportedly due to reveal the details by the end of next week.

It emerged yesterday (18 August) that actor Leslie Ash and her husband Lee Chapman have settled their case against News International. The couple said in a statement that they had settled for an "appropriate sum" but remained concerned about the practice at other newspapers and had instructed their lawyer "to take action against other newspapers in due course".

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