Paramount Plus lawsuits currently in motion center on three subscriber complaints: that the service shared viewing histories with Meta, TikTok, Google, and Microsoft without consent; that its sibling platform Pluto TV collected children’s data in violation of federal law; and that Paramount keeps charging people who try to cancel. A separate case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could decide whether the privacy claims can proceed at all. One related class action, involving comedy royalties on SiriusXM, has already settled for $11 million and paid out beginning in late 2025.
Viewing Data Shared With Meta and TikTok
In November 2024, subscriber Victor Cho filed a class action in California federal court alleging that Paramount “knowingly and intentionally” shared personally identifiable viewing records with Meta and TikTok without consent, in violation of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). The complaint seeks at least $5 million in damages.1The Hollywood Reporter. Paramount Class Action Lawsuit User Sharing Viewer History
A broader case filed in July 2024 names Meta as the primary defendant alongside Paramount+, ESPN+, Hulu, and Starz. The complaint in Starzinski et al. v. Meta Platforms (Case No. 5:24-cv-04501) alleges Meta illegally intercepted subscriber communications through its Facebook tracking pixel, in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the federal Wiretap Act, and the VPPA.2ClassAction.org. Facebook Illegally Captures Paramount+, ESPN+, Hulu Subscribers’ Data for Targeted Ads, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges
A parallel effort targets CBS.com. Because Paramount’s terms of use require disputes to go to arbitration rather than court, attorneys there are pursuing mass arbitration rather than a class action, alleging the same type of unauthorized viewing-data sharing through the Meta pixel. Under the VPPA, consumers whose information was disclosed without consent may be entitled to damages of up to $2,500 each.3ClassAction.org. CBS Video Privacy Lawsuit
The Supreme Court Case That Could Decide Them All
The outcome of the privacy cases above may hinge on Salazar v. Paramount Global (No. 25-459), now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. Plaintiff Michael Salazar alleged that Paramount’s college sports site 247Sports.com shared his video-viewing history with Facebook through the Meta pixel. The Sixth Circuit upheld dismissal of his claim, ruling that subscribing to an online newsletter did not make him a “consumer” under the VPPA because the newsletter was not audiovisual material.4MediaPost. Court Sides with Paramount in Video Privacy Battle
The Supreme Court granted certiorari on January 26, 2026, to resolve a circuit split: does the VPPA’s definition of “consumer” require a subscription to audiovisual goods specifically, or does it cover any goods or services from a video provider? The Second and Seventh Circuits have adopted the broader reading; the Sixth and D.C. Circuits have taken the narrower view. Briefing is underway, with oral argument expected during the Court’s October 2026 term.5SCOTUSblog. Salazar v. Paramount Global A ruling for Paramount would narrow the pool of people who can sue media companies under the VPPA; a ruling for Salazar would widen it considerably.
Pluto TV and Children’s Viewing Data
Parents of minor children filed a class action alleging that Paramount’s free streaming service Pluto TV harvested children’s viewing data from its “Kids” section and shared it with Google and Microsoft through tracking pixels and cookies, without parental consent. The complaint, Diaz et al. v. Paramount Skydance Corp. (Case No. 5:25-cv-02945), was filed on November 4, 2025, in the Central District of California. It asserts violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the VPPA, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, and several common-law claims.6ClassAction.org. Diaz et al. v. Paramount Skydance Corporation et al. Complaint
An earlier version of this suit was dismissed by Judge Kenly Kiya Kato, who found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring VPPA and ECPA claims. The dismissal was with leave to amend,7Bloomberg Law. Paramount Wins Dismissal of Pluto TV Children’s Privacy Suit and the November 2025 refiling appears to be the amended complaint.
The Auto-Renewal and Cancellation Class Action
For subscribers who tried to cancel Paramount+ and kept getting billed, there is an active case. In December 2023, plaintiffs Trevor Adkins and Michael Shuler filed a class action in the Southern District of New York alleging that Paramount operates an “automatic renewal scheme” for Paramount+ that systematically fails to honor cancellation requests. According to the complaint, Paramount continued to charge monthly fees to subscribers who had attempted to cancel, including after completing free trials.8TopClassActions. Paramount Class Action Alleges Company Conducts Automatic Renewal Scheme
The suit asserts violations of the federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act, automatic renewal laws in New York, Michigan, and Kentucky, and claims for unjust enrichment and conversion. As of mid-2026, the case remains in progress with no settlement or resolution announced.8TopClassActions. Paramount Class Action Alleges Company Conducts Automatic Renewal Scheme Subscribers who believe they were charged after canceling should keep records of their cancellation attempts and the dates of any disputed charges.
The One That Already Paid Out: Comedy Partners Royalties
Comedy recording artists who were parties to contracts with Comedy Partners, a Paramount-affiliated entity, alleged they were underpaid royalties for works distributed on SiriusXM Radio between May 2013 and December 2022. The consolidated cases, Zimmerman et al. v. Paramount Global and Kaplan v. Comedy Partners, produced an $11 million settlement fund.9CCR Settlement. Comedy Partners Class Action Settlement FAQ
Class members did not need to file a claim. Payments were distributed automatically on a pro-rata basis, calculated by comparing the number of SiriusXM plays of each member’s recordings against total plays during the class period. After deductions for legal fees (up to roughly $3.67 million), administrative costs, and incentive awards, the remaining fund was disbursed beginning October 31, 2025. The court granted final approval on July 23, 2025.10CCR Settlement. Comedy Partners Class Action Settlement This case does not involve subscribers or viewing habits; it is a performer-royalty matter and is included here only because it is the one piece of recent Paramount class-action litigation that has reached payout.
What Is Not a Subscriber Lawsuit
Several other high-profile Paramount legal battles are circulating in the news, and it’s worth separating them from anything that affects a Paramount+ account.
Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit over a 60 Minutes edit of a Kamala Harris interview was settled on July 2, 2025, for $16 million, with the funds designated for Trump’s future presidential library.11CNBC. Paramount Agrees to Pay $16 Million to Settle Trump’s Lawsuit Over 60 Minutes Kamala Harris Interview Subscribers were not parties and received nothing.
Multiple shareholder suits over the $8 billion Skydance merger (which closed August 7, 2025) and the pending $110 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery are investor disputes about deal terms and board conduct, not consumer cases.12Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Paramount Global Completes Merger with Skydance One exception on the consumer side: on April 30, 2026, five consumers filed suit in the Northern District of California seeking to block the Paramount–WBD deal and unwind the Skydance merger, alleging the transactions reduce competition and raise prices. Paramount moved to dismiss on June 3, 2026, and a hearing was scheduled for July 16, 2026.13Variety. Paramount Antitrust Lawsuit Block Warner Bros. Deal Dismiss Reply That suit seeks injunctive relief, not payments to subscribers.
A WARN Act case over roughly 300 layoffs on September 24, 2024, and litigation surrounding the April 2026 departure of Paramount President Jeff Shell are, respectively, an employment matter and an executive dispute. Neither offers any recovery to subscribers.
If You Think You Have a Claim
If you were a Paramount+ subscriber, used CBS.com, or let a child watch Pluto TV’s “Kids” section during the relevant periods, you may fall within one of the proposed classes once a court certifies them. Class notices typically go out by email to subscribers on file, so keeping the email address associated with your account current matters. For the auto-renewal case, documentation of your cancellation attempts and continued charges is what makes an individual claim provable if the class is certified or a settlement is reached. For the VPPA cases, the Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in Salazar will do more than any filing to determine whether these claims move forward or collapse.