The UK lawyer who represented the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and other hacking victims is in “advanced stages” of preparations to sue News Corp in the States, The Independent reports. Staffers for attorney Mark Lewis are said to have planned several meetings in New York. And Lewis told The Guardian that he is ”not prepared to deny” the report. If he follows through, then the scandal could become far more damaging than it already is for News Corp. For example, a court case here could help the Justice Department in its investigation into whether the media giant violated U.S. laws. The agency is focusing on the possibility that News Corp bribed UK police or officials – which would be a violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch is struggling unsuccessfully to contain his problems in the UK. He plans to visit the country this week following the arrest over the weekend of five journalists at his tabloid The Sun who were charged with corruption and conspiracy for allegedly bribing cops for news tips. The paper’s Trevor Kavanagh likened the police actions to a “witch-hunt” and added in a column that “some of the greatest legends in Fleet Street have been held, at least on the basis of evidence so far revealed, for simply doing their jobs as journalists on behalf of the company.”