Charlotte Church Settles News Corp. Phone Hacking Charges for $950,000

NEW YORK - Welsh singer and actress Charlotte Church and her parents have settled a phone hacking claim against News International, the U.K. newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. that used to publish the defunct News of the World, in a £600,000 ($950,000) deal, the Guardian reported on Monday.

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The damages and costs were detailed in a court hearing. Church, 26, told the paper that she felt forced to settle because Murdoch's company had threatened to bring up "ancient" stories about an affair her stepfather had and a suicide attempt by her mother.

And she said she plans to use her portion of the damages payment to fight against other newspapers as well.

"I really wanted to take it all the way as well," Church told the Guardian about the settlement. "I am really sorry, I hope people don't feel let down, but the thing is it's not so black and white, it's definitely not a case of money."

She added that she felt she was left "trying to fight with two hands and a leg tied behind [my] back and you can just kick with one leg." Said Church: "You are fighting a massive corporation with endless resources, a phenomenal amount of power, and it is just made really difficult."

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com

Twitter: @georgszalai