A British employment tribunal filing shows that News of the World's chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck is claiming unfair dismissal from his former publisher,Rupert Murdoch's News International. News International said Wednesday it will vigorously contest the case,filed on Sept. 13. Thurlbeck is expected to claim he was sacked for whistleblowing in the phone-hacking scandal that brought down his tabloid. News International had long maintained that phone hacking was limited to a single rogue reporter and the private investigator he was working with. However,an email uncovered during legal proceedings seemed to cast doubt on that claim. It contained a transcript of an illegally obtained conversation,drawn up by a junior reporter and marked 'for Neville' - an apparent reference to Thurlbeck.
