Sienna Miller, scourge of the tabloids, wins privacy case

Published on Monday 10 November 2008 22:15

ACTRESS Sienna Miller was awarded £35,000 in damages yesterday from two tabloid newspapers after they agreed an out-of-court settlement over claims they had breached her privacy.

Miller, star of movies such as Layer Cake, Alfie and The Factory Girl, had sued the Sun and News of the World over a series of what her lawyer said were intrusive articles and photos published in June and July.

A series of features and pictures appeared in both titles and included coverage of the actor's alleged relationship with multimillionaire American actor Balthazar Getty soon after breaking off a relationship with Welsh actor Rhys Ifans.

During the alleged affair, Miller was photographed topless on a yacht with Mr Getty, star of Brothers and Sisters.

In a statement, Mark Thomson, of the libel law firm Carter-Ruck, said terms of the settlement were approved by London's High Court, with the papers' publishers, News Group Newspapers, agreeing to pay the damages and costs.

Mr Thomson cited a letter from Tom Crone, News Group Newspapers' senior lawyer, which said the papers admitted they had been at fault.

"We acknowledged that on the specific facts and circumstances of this case you had a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of the information and the photographs that we published," the letter said.

"We also accept that we should not have published such information or photographs."

Miller's private life and romantic liaisons have long been staple fodder for the tabloids.

Carter-Ruck said Miller was still pursuing a legal case against photographic agency Big Pictures (UK), which she claims was guilty of harassment and invasion of privacy.

At a preliminary hearing last month, the High Court heard that her life had been made "intolerable" by the paparazzi, who had chased her while she was driving and pursued as she walked her dogs in the park.

The agency is contesting the claims and a trial has been scheduled to take place early next year.

Last month, Miller accepted 15,000 damages in an out-of-court settlement against the Daily Star over a paparazzi photo.

Ms Miller's private life has been the subject of numerous newspaper stories since her failed romance with Jude Law, her co-star in Alfie.

In January, Miller also won a High Court privacy case against photographer Warren Richardson, who took nude pictures of her without her consent.

The photos were taken while Ms Miller was filming Hippie Hippie Shake, based on the memoirs of Richard Neville, who edited the magazine Oz.

Ms Miller's lawyer, David Sherborne, told Mr Justice Eady in London that the actress was "extremely distressed" by the incident, which happened on a closed film set.

The "highly intrusive" pictures were taken using a long lens while Ms Miller was removing her clothes and entering a lake. Mr Richardson then provided the photographs to the Xposure Photo Agency.

Ms Miller had already settled a case against Xposure and the Sun and the News of the World, which printed the photographs.

News Group Newspapers, along with Xposure, had to pay the actress 37,500 in damages, plus legal costs, after the pictures were printed in October.

However Miller claims that despite the harassment, she once helped rescue a group of photographers from drowning.

"There was a boat with them in, while we were filming on the beach, and they started to sink. We had to call the coastguard out to rescue them. We shouldn't have, but we did. It was insane," she said.

PROFILE

Born: 28 December, 1981, in New York City.

Occupation: actress, fashion designer and model.

Film debut: South Kensington, with Rupert Everett, in 2001.

Film career: best known for Alfie, Factory Girl and The Edge of Love.

Relationships: Engagement to Jude Law in 2004 called off after he had affair with his children's nanny. Dated Welsh actor Rhys Ifans from August 2007 to June 2008. Shortly after splitting from him, Miller began a relationship with a married actor, Balthazar Getty.