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
There is definitely something wrong with this picture! So the attorneys are going to be receiving $180,00 for representing thousands upon thousands of facebook users who’s information was compromised, yet we’re the ones left with picking up the pieces of potentially dealing with our identities being compromised and stolen? Facebook needs to be held accountable to ITS USERS, and $30 bucks doesn’t even come close to the compensation we rightfully deserve and should expect!!
Just for clarification, That $180, comment these attorneys are receiving was intended to have several additional zeros to it!
It’s a class action lawsuit. Its purpose is not to indemnify those affected – rather its intent is to punish the accused. There is no way that such a large entity as Facebook would have only 10,000 complainants. Plus, if more had even known about this, I imagine the payout would be more like $1.50. I didn’t know, so I’m sure there are millions of others that would have added to the list otherwise if they had known. This is just how CA suits operate. One does not become rich off of a CA lawsuit. It’s meant to hurt the entity in the pocketbook. Just thought you may want to know in the event you’re involved in another type of lawsuit down the road. The payout is more often than not, infinitesimal.
Right you are!! Which is why there most definitely shouldn’t be an issue in lowering the attorney fees. Instead of 25% (in general, for all future lawsuits) the industry norm should be lowered to between 1% to 10% which would be $7.25 million to $72.5 million in this case. Those figures can be determined based on whatever metrics they decide to come up with but shouldn’t be too far beyond a 10% maximum. For cases that involve extreme and unforseen circumstances and extensions of overall time required to close a case, there can be some sort of formula that dictates any type of compensation beyond the expected amounts stated above.
Why is it that the lawyers get paid more! Thos is dirty because my personal information was stolen and I was under identity theft! 30.00 is ridiculous! I went through something just for these lawyers to gain an amount triple even higher than what I will receive! The system are crooks!
Yes I Submitted A Claim In The Facebook Privacy Settlement.
I agree that I was one.
I want to know why they were “blown away” by 17.7 million claims whenever they shared 87 million profiles info. This whole thing is BS.
17,700,000.00 X 30 = 531,000,000.00
725,000,000 – 531,000,000= 194,000,000
So where did the other 194 mil go?
Either way, they could’ve done way better than that.
Exactly thts the same thing I was thinking 30$ so all the money is going to attorney fees…
$30,000 is not much but how much did Facebook get for selling people’s data.. everybody’s thinking $30 but there’s not a period there. There is a ( , ) there.. then it’s worth more than $30.00. It’s like this $30,000.. but having identity fraud. That’s taking away somebody’s life and identity and selling it off they should add multiple zeros..
My page was hacked on July 23rd 2018 and I haven’t been on FB since, and I won’t, who ever it was stole my identity and locked me out my page, and for only $30, I’ll never make another page again
Seriously I think someone needs to start a class action lawsuit against those attorneys. They get 80.5. Million dollars for payment while people who has their information sold unknowingly get $30.00 what is wrong with this picture.
Duran usted tiene toda la razón y es muy cierto su comentario, pero tal vez de 1000 abogados, jueces y fiscales y todo lo que tenga que ver con procesos legales habrá alguno que se preocupe por el pago justo de nosotros los afectados pero a saber cuál será la forma de encontrar esa persona, así que no nos queda más opcion que aceptar lo poco que nos ofrecen porque aunque sea un mínimo eso nos pertenece y no se los vamos a regalar gracias y saludos cordiales y no estoy ofendiendo a nadie con mi comentario solo es lo que pienso y opino
Who’s to say if my information didn’t get sold a second or a third time while they’re collecting millions are information is still out here
What wow I filed a claim for 30 bucks out of 725mil
Again we the people suffer another loss or waste of time to make attorneys richer no love loss we know the system don’t give a fucc about the people on that note Here’s one big Fucc You Too!!!!!!
Ain’t that the truth pay attention to you and the class actions are not the best of anything else you want to know about anything else hello keeping the faith in the truth and the fake above no one can’t see or crotrol hello my father is always on them can I get a 🙏
best part is the 30 dollars or whatever grimey amount they decide to give and i’m low ballin the date here but i’m thinking they will start depositing in people’s accounts prolly around like february 2024 . cuz u know they gonna come with ’ some hilarious excuse on why payments are delayed
IF 30. is the case for us that is highway robbery and I must agree it was all for the lawyer’s . INORDER FOR THEM TO WIN LIKE THAT THEY NEEDED US TO ACTUALLY BACK THEM UP .. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE BACKED THEM WITH OUR CLAIMS AND WE GET CRUMBS,,.. IT’S LITERALLY ENOUGH IN THE SETTLEMENT TO SET EVERYONE SOMEWHAT STRAIGHT AND ONCE AGAIN THE LAWYERS WIN .. YES THE LAWYERS.. WE SIGNED UP FOR THEM…