Plaintiffs Push For Preliminary Approval Of $550 Million Settlement In Facebook Privacy Class Action

Seyfarth Synopsis: Plaintiffs' lawyers reached a landmark $550 million settlement in January 2020 in a lawsuit against Facebook by consumers in a class action brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (the "BIPA") in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. On May 8, 2020, the plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion for preliminary settlement approval of the class action settlement. See In Re Facebook Biometric Information Privacy Litigation, No. 3:15-CV-3747 (N.D. Cal. May 8, 2020).

The motion provides a first look into the details of the settlement's structure, as the matter pends before the Court to decide whether the settlement is fair and reasonable. The motion - and the genesis of the case and the settlement - are essential reading for all corporate counsel.