With eye-popping damages at stake, a federal judge has refused to allow plaintiffs to move forward as a class with claims that Hulu violated their privacy by sharing the videos they viewed.
In a 38-page order issued Tuesday, San Francisco U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler dismissed without prejudice plaintiffs’ motion to certify a class of Hulu users. Plaintiffs filed their claims under the Video Privacy Protection Act, a 1980s law that provides for statutory damages of $2,500 per violation. Hulu had warned the court that it might have to pay billions in damages if a class were certified.
