Facebook privacy settlement payouts overview:
- Who: More than 17.7 million people submitted valid claims in the Facebook data privacy settlement.
- Why: The $725 million settlement puts an end to claims that Meta — formerly known as Facebook — shared about 87 million Facebook users’ information with a third-party app developer, who in turn sold the data to Cambridge Analytica.
- Where: Nationwide.
In an eventful final approval hearing, a California judge said he was “blown away” by the 17.7 million claims filed in a $725 million Facebook privacy class action lawsuit settlement.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs told U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria that more than 17.7 million valid claims have been filed in the Facebook data privacy settlement — with several million more still needing to be processed.
According to plaintiff lawyers, each claimant can expect to receive around $30, based on the number of claims that have been filed. Judge Chhabria noted this amount is lower than expected but can be attributed to the unprecedented number of claims filed in the case.
“It’s because such an incredibly large number of people made claims in this case,” the judge said. “I was kind of blown away by how many people made claims.”
Facebook users had until Aug. 25, 2023, to file a claim in the Facebook class action lawsuit settlement; more than 28.6 million claims were filed. However, around 2 million of these claims are duplicates, while 8 million may be fraudulent. Even after these deductions, 17.7 million filed claims is a significant number.
Although the $725 million Facebook deal has attracted widespread media attention and millions of claims, not everyone is satisfied with the settlement. Objectors in the case claim the settlement total is too small based on the number of affected users and that the criteria for payouts laid out in the settlement agreement are unfair.
These objectors were each given two minutes to argue their cases to Judge Chhabria during the final approval hearing. Plaintiffs’ lawyers hit back against their arguments, saying the objectors ignore the significant risk of litigation when calculating the potential statutory reward of going to trial.
Class lawyers in the Facebook class action lawsuit need to tell Judge Chhabria the total they will seek in attorneys’ fees from the settlement — a sum that was left out in their motion for attorneys’ fees.
“We’re just not good at math,” one lawyer joked, calling the issue an “oversight” but stating that a 25% cut of the settlement would amount to almost $180.5 million.
The $725 million settlement puts an end to claims that Meta — formerly known as Facebook — shared the information of around 87 million Facebook users with a third-party app developer who then sold their information to Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica is a UK-based political consulting firm known for its role in former President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign. The firm filed for bankruptcy shortly after the Facebook data-sharing scandal was revealed.
Did you submit a claim in the Facebook privacy settlement? Let us know in the comments below.
The settlement class is represented by Lesley E. Weaver, Anne K. Davis, Matthew S. Melamed and Joshua D. Samra of Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP, and Derek W. Loeser, Cari Campen Laufenberg, David Ko, Adele A. Daniel, Benjamin Gould, Emma M. Wright, Daniel Mensher, Michael Woerner, Matthew Gerend, Christopher Springer and Eric Fierro of Keller Rohrback LLP.
The Facebook privacy class action lawsuit is In re: Facebook Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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452 thoughts onHere’s how much the Facebook privacy class action settlement payouts could be
Everyone making money on our information. Not right. I filed my claim.
If they were to give everyone 1.5 million dollars it will still be more than enough money to go around I guess you have to be an attorney to actually receive some kind of earnings or winnings out of the situation I would rather been an attorney instead of a victim
I have been with Facebook since 2007-2023. I filed something against Facebook never heard from a Lawyer nor Settlement conditions.
I filed a claim. I feel as if the purpose was for the lawyers and not in the best interest of everyone that filed. $30.00…. Really but yet the lawyers are making bank! Just doesn’t make sense.
Wow a disappointment they lead us in with you get paid round something then when the settlement hit they want to hit us with the 30 bucks if that’s all I was gone get I should of just not sign anything it’s a waste and it’s disgusting for these lawyers to be doing this to people they the ones getting all the money and it’s crazy
So, we get $30 and the lawyers make 180m…this doesn’t seem like justice for the victims but more of another way to line an already wealthy pocket. The way this is working out we aren’t getting any sort of justice or compensation, we are being used and violated again. This is absolutely bull. The lawyers only cared enough to make sure they made out like the bandits they are. Just a bunch of crooks. The least the Judge could’ve done is put a $ cap on how much the lawyers could pocket and be the one to start putting a stop to lawyers excessively lining their pockets while tremendously screwing over their clients. These lawyers are pocketing more than what 25% of the current claimients will receive combined. Just wow…I know it’s a rant but this crap has gotten out of hand.
So, the lawyers will get 180M, while we get $30? Wow…
Seem to me someone is trying not to pay the user any money if there is $ 300,000.000 left kut of 17.5 million everyone could easily get a 1,000.000 a peice so $30 will not be fair to any user like thats been a user for a long time already done the math so need to be fair paid people right thank you
I filed a claim. Just freaking wow.
Soooo what happens with the rest of the 64.5k???
Exactly my point!
That’s pretty insulting, but that’s also how these class actions go down. For anyone who thinks that whatever enough should be enough for a million per person, just remember, if there is 500 million left from the settlement, that means to achieve that, only roughly 500 people would receive that.
That aside, while I did file a claim I did come in with the expectation I wouldn’t see much from this, just a Lil bit extra cash, 30 was not my bingo card amount. Unfortunately these class action lawsuits generally tend to go this way and it’s mroe so designed for the lawyers to pocket a massive paycheck while we get whatever is left. Believe me, we all were hoping for something much jucier.