Jude Law, 36 others settle in phone hacking case

Actor Jude Law, soccer player Ashley Cole and 35 others will receive payouts and an apology from Rupert Murdoch's News International as part of their settlement in the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

The AP reports that the 37 defendants agreed to terms on Thursday (Jan. 19). While senior staff of News International did not admit knowledge of the hacking, they said that "for the purpose of reaching these settlements only, News Group Newspapers agreed that the damages to be paid to claimants should be assessed as if this was the case."

While not all the settlement amounts have been released, 15 were at the public court hearing in London. Those people are expected to receive approximately $1 million divided amongst them. Law will receive a disproportionate share of about $200,000 plus legal costs.

Following the hearing, Law issued as statement saying, "No aspect of my private life was safe from intrusion by News Group Newspapers, including the lives of my children and the people who work for me. It was not just that my phone messages were listened to. News Group also paid people to watch me and my house for days at a time and to follow me and those close to me, both in this country and abroad."

This does not mark the end of the scandal by a long shot. There are still numerous cases scheduled to go to court in the coming months.