News UK has brought legal action against the Metropolitan Police to recover "journalistic material".
The publisher of The Sun, Times and Sunday Times is challenging the Met's assertion that they are "entitled to unfettered access to journalistic material".
The Mail on Sunday reported yesterday that the company is suing Scotland Yard for "hacking" into journalists' emails.
News UK said the "context" of this story was untrue, but confirmed there is "an active litigation at present that is focussed on the recovery of material".
Press Gazette understands no legal documents have so far been filed in court, and a spokesman said the company could not comment or say what the action concerned specifically.
They said: "There is an active litigation at present that is focussed on the recovery of material in circumstances where the MPS stated that they are entitled to unfettered access to Journalistic Material, Legal Privileged Material and Confidential Material."
Last week, Press Gazette revealed News UK is looking at "potential remedies" after Vodafone mistakenly provided the Met with the phone records of more than 1,700 of its staff.
Asked whether Vodafone remains the provider for work phones, News UK director of communications Guto Harri said: “I think as things stand it is…
“I know a senior executive of Vodafone has personally apologised both to Mike Darcey, the CEO here, and Robert Thomson, the CEO of News Corp.
“And there may be potential remedies we may have which we can say we are exploring without pre-empting any outcome.”
The Mail on Sunday reported yesterday that the action against the Met relates to the force keeping and searching "through an archive of journalists' emails dating back to 2004".
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