Judge gives preliminary approval to $92 million TikTok deal

September 30, 2021 — Federal district court judge John Z. Lee today gave preliminary approval to a settlement agreement reached in a wide-ranging privacy class action against the companies responsible for the wildly-popular TikTok app. Judge Lee presided over a multi-district proceeding, centralizing almost two dozen separate class action lawsuits filed throughout the country brought to address alleged violations of TikTok users’ privacy.

The firm was counsel of record in the first such case filed in San Francisco, and firm partner David Given was appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee to help run that and several other cases. In his opinion and order, Judge Lee cited the work the firm did at the first of two lengthy mediation sessions conducted under the auspices of a former federal judge, which led to the parties’ settlement. That settlement provides for $92 million together with an array of injunctive relief for the putative settlement class. Judge Lee found that the parties’ settlement was “within the range of fairness, reasonableness, and adequacy,” citing the “hard-fought” nature of the litigation.

Notice to the class and a hearing for final approval of the deal are pending.