An offer you can’t refuse?

Mechanisms built into the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 (CPR) which encourage most cases to settle before reaching trial, are rarely a talking point outside the legal profession. In April, however, the actor Hugh Grant drew attention to the ‘rules around civil litigation’ in a lengthy thread posted on the social media platform X, relating to his own case against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the owners of The Sun. By implying that these very rules effectively forced him to settle his case, much against his wishes, Grant has pushed the specific role played by CPR, Pt 36 in civil proceedings to the fore. If someone with his global fame and considerable resources says he is unable to continue his case because of a rule hitherto little known outside legal circles, people sit up and take notice.

Hugh Grant’s interpretation

It is important to remember at the outset that a settlement out