Pornhub class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: MindGeek, the company behind Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube and several affiliated entities, has agreed to a $120 million class action settlement.
- Why: The settlement resolves a sexual abuse lawsuit accusing MindGeek of knowingly profiting from child sexual abuse material uploaded to its websites between 2011 and 2024.
- Where: The Pornhub class action settlement awaits preliminary approval in California federal court, with a hearing set for November 2026.
A federal judge will consider preliminary approval of a $120 million Pornhub class action settlement, which combines claims from a California plaintiff identified as Jane Doe and a related sexual abuse lawsuit from an Alabama plaintiff.
Both plaintiffs allege they were exploited as minors whose abuse was filmed and posted to Pornhub without consent. U.S. District Judge Wesley L. Hsu will hear the motion Nov. 4, 2026.
Under the settlement, MindGeek will pay $120 million into a non-reversionary fund, split equally among eligible claimants and paid in installments through 2032. The settlement class covers everyone under 18 who appeared in an image or video uploaded to a MindGeek website between Feb. 12, 2011, and Dec. 6, 2024.
MindGeek, now known as Aylo, is owned by a Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners, which operates Pornhub through its subsidiary MG Freesites LTD.
MindGeek also agreed to injunctive relief, including mandatory government ID age verification for anyone depicted in content, expanded moderation to detect and remove suspected abuse material, staff training and new content-removal procedures, monitored for five years.
According to Law360, Aylo said the settlement resolves the matter without an admission of wrongdoing, adding the company “is committed to the safety and integrity of its platforms.”
Pornhub sexual abuse lawsuit accuses site of profiting from abuse videos
The Pornhun class action lawsuit stems from two cases filed against MindGeek entities in February 2021 — one in Alabama and the other filed eight days later in California — naming MindGeek USA Inc., MindGeek S.A.R.L. and MG Freesites LTD, among other affiliated entities.
The California plaintiff alleges her abusive boyfriend secretly recorded her as a minor and later uploaded the footage to Pornhub as “revenge porn.” The Alabama plaintiff alleges she was drugged and raped as a minor by her abuser, who uploaded videos of the assaults alongside other child sexual abuse material.
Both plaintiffs allege MindGeek reviewed the footage before distributing it, and the motion says content depicting them and other class members was viewed more than 684 million times on Pornhub.
Both cases defeated MindGeek’s Section 230 defenses, won class certification in 2023 and survived appellate review.
Alabama’s case had been set for trial in September 2025 before settlement talks resumed. The court has since closed the case without prejudice, retaining jurisdiction if California declines final approval.
What do you think about the allegations against Pornhub in this settlement? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Krysta Kauble Pachman, Halley Wilder Josephs, Davida P. Brook, Rohit D. Nath, Nicholas N. Spear, Emily K. Cronin and Christina M. Dieckmann of Susman Godfrey LLP and Steve Cohen of Pollock Cohen LLP.
The Pornhub class action lawsuit is Jane Doe v. MindGeek USA Inc., et al., Case No. 8:21-cv-00338, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, with a coordinated case, Jane Doe v. MG Freesites Ltd., et al., Case No. 7:21-cv-00220, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
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