Title: Crunchyroll Faces $16M Lawsuit Settlement, Potentially Distributing Free Money to Streaming Users
Streaming users of a popular service could soon be eligible to receive free money due to a $16 million lawsuit faced by Crunchyroll, the streaming platform specializing in anime and East Asian content. The company has been accused of sharing users’ personally identifiable information with Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Other companies such as Google and Adobe were also alleged to have received this information from Crunchyroll without proper consent.
The class action complaint filed against Crunchyroll emphasized that the plaintiff, who initiated the lawsuit, had never provided explicit permission for her Personal Viewing Information to be disclosed. Over the course of the litigation, three different amended complaints were presented. Ultimately, the initial plaintiff was replaced by two other Crunchyroll users who claimed to have had similar experiences.
While Crunchyroll has denied any wrongdoing, the company has agreed to a settlement plan. On September 14, approximately five months after the lawsuit was initially filed, Crunchyroll decided to proceed with the settlement. The $16 million will be evenly distributed among all eligible plaintiffs. Each impacted user can expect to receive an estimated payment of around $30, though the final amount may vary depending on the number of participants in the lawsuit.
Before disbursing any money, the settlement must receive final approval at a court hearing scheduled for December 19. Once approved, litigants will have the option to receive their payout via PayPal, Venmo, or check. Additionally, Crunchyroll has promised to make good faith efforts to prevent users’ information from being disclosed to third parties without their consent.
The settlement represents a significant development in the lawsuit against Crunchyroll, with streaming users potentially benefiting from the company’s actions being brought to light. As the legal proceedings near their conclusion, the hope is that the agreement will provide some compensation to those affected by the alleged mishandling of personal data.
It remains to be seen how this settlement will impact Crunchyroll and its ability to safeguard user information moving forward. Regardless, this case serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting personally identifiable information and obtaining proper consent before sharing such data with third parties. As the court hearing approaches, affected users eagerly await resolution and the potential recovery of free money in this high-profile lawsuit.
