Here’s the tally on how much News Corp has paid to hush-up scandal, according to a NYT article by David Carr. (For the record, this may be the first time I have quoted Carr favorably.)
- 2009: $1.6 million to settle phone-hacking claims
- 2009: $29.5 million to NJ company Floorgraphics, which had sued News Corp for hacking into its computer system and “disseminat[ing] false, misleading and malicious information about the plaintiff.” Settled and then bought the company.
- 2009: Valassis Communications wins $300 jury award from News Corp for anticompetitive practices.
- 2010: $500 million to Valassis Communications; “significant risks were developing in presenting this case to a jury.”
- 2011: $125 million to Insignia Systems as a settlement for anti-competitive behavior.
On July 8, institutional stockholders filed a supplemental class action lawsuit against News Corp in Delaware (pdf) arguing that Murdoch has not acted in a responsible fiduciary manner. The complaint cites the $615 million purchase of The Shine Group, which was run by his daughter, Elisabeth Murdoch, who also had majority ownership. “As a result, Elisabeth Murdoch is now at
least $250 million richer,” the complaint reads; it also cites the NOTW case. Involved institutional investors include Amalgamated Bank and the Central Laborer’s Pension Fund; they seek to prevent Elisabeth Murdoch from taking a seat on the board.
In 2008, Dish Network won a law suit against a News Corp company, NDS; the suit contended that “NDS used hackers to crack security in Dish’s access cards.” The jury found News Corp guilty of stealing satellite signals but not the more serious charges; Dish received only a nominal sum in damages plus legal fees.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com