9th U.S. Circuit Court Affirms Meta’s $725 Million Settlement, Despite Opposition
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a $725 million class-action settlement against Meta Thursday, despite opponents claiming the deal is inadequate and that the social media company should pay more. The suit accuses Meta, parent company of Facebook, of violating user privacy by allowing advertisers and partners to harvest user data without their consent.
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“Objectors’ arguments against settlement approval do not establish a clear abuse of discretion,” the circuit court said. “After considering these factors and overruling all objections, the district court was within its discretion in finding both that the 25% fee award was reasonable and that it was properly within the range of class action settlement awards of comparable size and complexity.”
Meta defended the settlement, which was approved in 2023, in court on Feb. 10 (see 2502100052). Some of the plaintiffs in the suit also support the settlement, noting the district judge conducted a fair review, and the $725 million settlement was reasonable.