News Corp. Begins Settlement Plan for Phone-Hacking Victims

News Corp.’s U.K. unit started a voluntary settlement program for thousands of potential victims of phone hacking by the company’s News of the World tabloid, which was shuttered in July as the scandal expanded.

Victims can apply online for what it called a “speedy, cost-effective alternative to litigation,” London-based News International said today in a statement. The applications will be assessed by former judge Charles Gray to ensure fairness, the company said. The settlement program was first announced in April and begins taking claims today.