# Pornhub $120 Million Settlement Moves Toward Final Approval Federal judge tentatively approves settlement for victims of non-consensual underage content uploads. - **Source:** [Courthouse News](https://www.courthousenews.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-07 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/355a6427-4057-48da-b875-f27db4baf9d6 ## Preliminary Judicial Approval U.S. District Judge Wesley Hsu issued a tentative ruling granting preliminary approval to a $120 million class action settlement. This legal resolution addresses claims brought by thousands of women whose explicit images were uploaded to Pornhub while they were underage. The decision follows a brief hearing held in downtown Los Angeles. ## Consolidation of Legal Claims The settlement resolves two separate class action lawsuits originally filed in Alabama and California. Plaintiffs accused the platform's owner, formerly known as MindGeek, of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The core allegation is that the company financially benefited from child sexual abuse material posted by users on its websites. ## Scope of Affected Victims The agreement covers individuals who were under 18 when depicted in explicit content made viewable on the company's platforms between February 12, 2011, and December 6, 2024. Many victims reported that former partners uploaded these videos without their knowledge or consent, leading to severe personal consequences and widespread distribution of their private images. ## Operational Policy Changes As part of the settlement, the Montreal-based company, now rebranded as Aylo, has committed to significant operational reforms. This includes requiring government-issued identification to verify the age of both individuals depicted in videos and users uploading content. The firm also pledged to implement extensive moderation procedures to remove child sexual abuse material. ## Individual Opt-Out Actions A group of 15 women has opted out of the class action settlement to pursue independent child trafficking lawsuits. These plaintiffs are targeting the company alongside its financial backers and payment facilitators. Their individual cases remain pending before Judge Hsu, representing a separate legal track from the broader class action agreement reached recently. ## Section 230 Legal Precedent Judge Hsu previously rejected the company's attempt to claim immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. While the law typically shields platforms from liability for third-party content, the judge ruled it does not protect companies from their own alleged malfeasance. The court noted specific accusations that moderators actively facilitated content posting. ## Systemic Platform Negligence Plaintiffs argued that for years, the platform failed to implement basic age-verification policies or effective safeguards to prevent the spread of illegal material. The lawsuit highlights how the site's design allowed non-consensual videos to go viral, causing lasting harm to victims who were coerced into filming explicit content at very young ages. ## Broader Industry Implications This settlement marks a significant shift in how digital platforms are held accountable for user-generated content involving minors. By forcing structural changes like mandatory identification, the court is setting a new standard for content moderation. The outcome underscores the limits of platform immunity when companies are accused of direct involvement in harm. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.courthousenews.com/pornhub-120-million-settlement-on-track-for-approval/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._