The contagion is spreading. Hot on the heels of news that the DOJ is seriously investigating Newscorp for alleged corruption of foreign officials, there is breaking news that Mark Lewis, the solicitor who represented the family of the murdered teenager whose phone-hacking started the current scandal, is joining forces with Norman Siegel:
Mark Lewis of Taylor Hampton has instructed Norman Siegel, a New York-based lawyer who represents 20 9/11 families to seek witness statements from News Corp and directors including the Murdochs in relation to allegations that News of the World staff may have bribed police.
He says he intends to assess whether he can launch a class action against News Corp using American foreign corruption laws, which make it illegal for US companies to pay bribes to government officials abroad.
"There is a provision within US law, before you start an action to seek depositions from individuals, in this case, such as James Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch and other directors of News Corp," said Lewis.
He added Siegel would examine allegations of not just police bribery but also phone hacking and "foreign malpractices."
The remit of this class action seems broad. Not is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act still in play, the allegation that 9/11 victims were hacked still hasn't gone away.
Newscorp is report to be offering in the region of £3 million to the family of Milly Dowler - but she is just one of 4,000 alleged victims, of just one of News International's private investigators.
With three police investigations in the UK, a DOJ investigation in the US, and now a class action suit, the slow corrosion of Newscorp's legitimacy goes on apace behind the scenes.
Will update as and when more comes in: meanwhile hat tip to my behind the scenes secret intelligencer Ceebs who gave me the heads up through Associated Press. That's the power of collaboration for you! And please feel free to hijack the thread with any other Newscorp stories you've garnered.
4:20 PM PT: TALK about collaboration: some important media matters insight from ericlewis0 of Animal Nuz Fame, who somehow - with his collaborative magic, brought this back on the rec list
http://www.dailykos.com/...
And Blue Aardvark has a great diary and comments about Andy Coulson, the disgraced former Number 10 Head of Communications and NoW editor, suing his former News International Employers.
http://www.dailykos.com/...
All bubbling up in corporately uncontrollable ways. Just what Kossacks love to see!
