Tamsin Allen, who heads the firm’s media practice, has secured settlements against News Group Newspapers Ltd for the former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Chris Bryant MP, Denis MacShane MP, journalists Joan Smith and Tom Rowland and Christopher Shipman.

Under the settlements, Bindmans’ clients will receive compensation of up to £60,000 each for invasion of privacy and breach of confidence as well as costs and public apologies which were read out yesterday to a packed courtroom before Mr Justice Vos.

Read the statements below:

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – BARON PRESCOTT OF KINGSTON UPON HULL  

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – CHRIS – BRYANT MP

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – RT. HON. DR DENNIS MACSHANE MP

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – JOAN SMITH  

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – TOM ROWLAND  

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – CHRISTOPHER SHIPMAN  

STATEMENT IN OPEN COURT – HJK

The cases had been due to go to trial next month but following pressure from the 60-strong claimant group, which has insisted on full disclosure by News Group, the stricken company backed down, made wide-ranging admissions and agreed to pay compensation which will take into account aggravating features including News Group’s attempts to cover up the scandal by destroying documents.

Yesterday’s dramatic settlement of 37 claims has attracted front page national media coverage as the extent of the hacking becomes clear. See a round-up of press coverage below:

Phone-hacking cases settled today at High Court (Press Gazette, 19 January 2012)    

Jude Law among celebrities to settle damages over phone hacking claims (The Mirror, 19 January 2012)  

News International ‘admits covering up evidence and lying to investigators’ (Daily Mail, 19 January 2012)  

Phone hacking News International settles with victims – live (The Guardian, 19 January 2012) 

Phone hacking News International settles with victims (The Guardian, 19 January 2012) 

How News Group hid the phone-hacking scandal (The Guardian, 19 January 2012)

Phone hacking: News International to pay out to 37 victims (The Guardian, 19 January 2012)

We hacked emails too – News International (The Independent, 20 December 2012)  

Watch Tamsin explain the significance of the case on the BBC 6 o’clock news here.

Read Bindmans’ client Joan Smith’s article in The Independent here.

Read the background to the case here .