The 'Sun' is to face legal action over phone hacking for the first time after a UK high court judge ruled today there was enough evidence against the popular British tabloid.
News Group Newspapers (NGN), which has previously settled a large number of cases brought against the now-defunct 'News of the World', had maintained there was no hacking activity at sister tabloid 'Sun'.
Justice Mann allowed the claims to proceed and said four claimants could amend their cases to include the daily newspaper for the first time in the proceedings against NGN, which means the 'Sun' would now also have to face trial.
"Today's ruling brings the 'Sun' squarely into the civil litigation being brought against News Group," Chris Hutchings, one of the lead solicitors for those claiming their private voicemail messages were hacked by the newspaper, told BBC.
"The court has now allowed claimants, for the first time, to include claims of phone hacking by the newspaper.
"The decision will also affect up to 50 further cases which are about to be commenced against the defendant and will widen the disclosure of documentation it will have to provide going forward," he said.
The trial over the claims against the 'News of the World' is due to take place in June.
A separate trial considering the 'Sun' allegations will take place either later in the year or early 2017.
Four claimants, including British entertainer Les Dennis, allege that 40 articles printed in the 'Sun' were obtained through phone hacking.
The phone-hacking revelations led to the closure of the 'News of the World', owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
More than 1,000 phone hacking claims have been settled by NGN, now rebranded as News UK.
Former 'News of the World' editor Andy Coulson was found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones but his predecessor Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges.
Four other defendants were also cleared.
In September 2015, Brooks returned to her role as chief executive of News UK, having resigned in 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
Britain's royals, celebrities and victims of crime were among those whose phones were hacked by the 'News of the World'.
