Recent developments point towards an ongoing dispute concerning Facebook’s $725 Million privacy settlement. It has been revealed that two class members have requested an appeals court to reverse approval of the settlement agreement. The basis of this appeal lies in their assertion that the approval effectively awarded class members less than 0.3% of their potential statutory damages.
The recipients of this settlement, who initially raised claims under the Video Protection Privacy Act and the Stored Communications Act, were expected to receive at least $1,000 each in statutory damages. In contrast, the final resolution of the settlement after claims that Facebook’s Meta Platforms Inc. provided users’ personal information to third parties like Cambridge Analytica resulted in members of the class being awarded only $2.87 each.
According to the objectors, the approved Facebook settlement over the Cambridge Analytica scandal has effectively discounted the claims of 253 million class members by over 99.7 percent. As the legal battle continues, the plea for re-evaluation of the settlement holds notable implications for law professionals, Facebook users and proponents of digital security alike.
For more complete information on the developments of this case, you can follow the legal proceedings at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.