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Facebook user privacy settlement lawsuit
Approved, final, and paying out in rounds. The initial distribution is complete and the court approved a second distribution on May 6, 2026; claims closed on August 25, 2023 and cannot be reopened. The $725 million settlement over Facebook's sharing of user profile data, including with Cambridge Analytica. Claims closed in 2023, the first round of payments went out from September 2025 and is complete, and the court approved a second distribution on May 6, 2026.
The docket record
- Actions pending
- 330
- Total actions, historical
- 50
- Change, 3 months
- 0
- Change, 12 months
- +1(+3.1%)
- Docket
- MDL No. 2843
- Court
- Northern District of California
- Transferee judge
- Vince ChhabriaU.S. District Judge
- Last report
- September 1, 2026
Source: JPML “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” report dated September 1, 2026 · first in our series Jan 2024
Month-by-month figures, Jan 2024 to Sep 2026
| Report date | Actions pending | Change | Total, historical | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| August 3, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| July 1, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| June 1, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| May 1, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| April 1, 2026 | 33 | 0 | 50 | |
| March 2, 2026 | 33 | +1 | 50 | |
| February 2, 2026 | 32 | 0 | 49 | |
| January 5, 2026 | 32 | 0 | 49 | |
| December 2, 2025 | 32 | 0 | 49 | |
| November 3, 2025 | 32 | 0 | 49 | |
| October 1, 2025 | 32 | 0 | 49 | |
| September 2, 2025 | 32 | −7 | 49 | |
| August 1, 2025 | 39 | −3 | 50 | |
| July 1, 2025 | 42 | 0 | 50 | |
| June 2, 2025 | 42 | 0 | 50 | |
| May 1, 2025 | 42 | +1 | 50 | |
| April 1, 2025 | 41 | 0 | 49 | |
| March 3, 2025 | 41 | 0 | 49 | |
| February 3, 2025 | 41 | 0 | 49 | |
| January 2, 2025 | 41 | 0 | 49 | |
| December 2, 2024 | 41 | −1 | 49 | |
| October 1, 2024 | 42 | −1 | 49 | |
| September 3, 2024 | 43 | 0 | 50 | |
| August 1, 2024 | 43 | 0 | 50 | |
| July 1, 2024 | 43 | +1 | 50 | |
| June 3, 2024 | 42 | +1 | 49 | |
| May 1, 2024 | 41 | +3 | 48 | |
| April 1, 2024 | 38 | +1 | 45 | |
| March 1, 2024 | 37 | 0 | 44 | |
| February 1, 2024 | 37 | 0 | 44 | |
| January 2, 2024 | 37 | 44 |
Full docket title: IN RE: Facebook, Inc., Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation. Programmatic record page: MDL 2843.
Facebook user privacy settlement update — September 2026
What changed this month: in the September 1, 2026 report, MDL 2843 held at 33 pending actions, unchanged from the previous report. Figures come from the Judicial Panel's own monthly report and are restated here each month.
This is one of the few settlements on this site that is actually distributing money, which is why questions about it are almost always about timing rather than eligibility. The sequence, as the court-appointed administrator states it: the Northern District of California granted final approval on October 10, 2023; objectors filed two notices of appeal, which were resolved as of May 14, 2025; the settlement became final on May 22, 2025; and under a court order dated August 27, 2025, distribution of settlement benefits commenced in September 2025. The administrator states that the initial distribution has been completed, that on May 6, 2026 the court issued an order approving a second distribution, and that the second distribution was expected to commence in June 2026 and continue for approximately four weeks. That update is the administrator's own, current as of May 15, 2026. The claim window closed on August 25, 2023, so nobody can join now.
Sources: Facebook User Privacy Settlement, official administrator … · Meta Platforms, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K, FY2025) — …; full list at the end of this page.
Official claims administrator: www.facebookuserprivacysettlement.com/ · claim deadline published as August 25, 2023. Claims are filed there, never here.
What the lawsuits are about
The case grew out of the Cambridge Analytica disclosures in 2018. The allegation was broader than that one firm: that Facebook let third-party developers, business partners and other entities reach users' profile information, and the profile information of their friends, without meaningful consent, and failed to police what those third parties then did with it.
The cases were consolidated in the Northern District of California as MDL 2843, In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843-VC. On December 22, 2022 the parties entered a settlement agreement providing for a payment of $725 million, a figure Meta states in its own annual report to the SEC.
The settlement class is unusually large: anyone who was a Facebook user in the United States between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022. That breadth is the reason individual payments are modest relative to the headline number, and the reason the fund is being distributed in more than one round rather than all at once.
Because money is genuinely moving, this settlement attracts impersonation. The administrator publishes a fraud alert about requests for sensitive personal information or for payment in order to receive an award. No legitimate administrator asks you to pay to be paid.
Injuries named in the filings
- Disclosure of user profile information to third-party developers and business partners without adequate consent
- Disclosure of the profile information of users' friends through their connections
- Failure to monitor or enforce restrictions on what third parties did with the data they received
Principal defendants: Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly Facebook, Inc.).
Sources: Facebook User Privacy Settlement, official administrator … · Meta Platforms, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K, FY2025) — …; full list at the end of this page.
Who the filings say qualifies
Eligibility was settled by the class definition and the claim window is closed. These are the terms that decided who could file, which is what someone holding a payment notice or checking on a claim needs.
- A Facebook user in the United States at any point between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, inclusive.
- A valid claim filed by the deadline of August 25, 2023. Closed; no new claims are accepted.
- Not excluded from the class — the opt-out deadline was July 26, 2023.
- For the second distribution: the court approved it by order dated May 6, 2026. The administrator has not published a separate eligibility rule for it on its homepage, so anyone asking whether they are included should confirm with the administrator rather than rely on third-party summaries.
- No lawyer is needed and none can add you now. Payment questions go to the settlement administrator.
Source: Facebook User Privacy Settlement, official administrator site (update current as of May 15, 2026).
These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.
There is no case review to request here.
This settlement is closed to new claims and the court-appointed administrator is handling payment directly. No law firm can add you now, and we are not collecting details for a litigation nobody can join. If you already filed a claim, the administrator is the only place that can tell you where it stands — www.facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. You can get an alert when the record changes.
Key dates
- The parties enter a settlement agreement providing for a payment of $725 million. This date is also the end of the class period. source
- Opt-out and objection deadlines. source
- Claim deadline. Closed. source
- Final approval hearing in the Northern District of California. source
- The court grants final approval of the settlement and enters final judgment, together with an order awarding attorneys' fees, expenses and service awards. source
- The two objector appeals are resolved. source
- The settlement becomes final. source
- Court order directing distribution of settlement benefits. source
- Distribution of settlement benefits commences. The administrator later states this initial distribution has been completed. source
- The court issues an order approving a second distribution. source
- The second distribution is expected to commence and to continue for approximately four weeks, per the administrator's update current as of May 15, 2026. source
Questions people ask
When is the Facebook settlement payout date?
There have been two rounds rather than one date. The administrator states that distribution of settlement benefits commenced in September 2025 under a court order dated August 27, 2025, and that this initial distribution has been completed. It further states that on May 6, 2026 the court approved a second distribution, expected to commence in June 2026 and continue for approximately four weeks. Those statements are the administrator's own update, current as of May 15, 2026 and read again on September 11, 2026. If you are waiting on a payment, the administrator is the only source that can tell you where yours is.
Why is there a second Facebook settlement payment?
Because money remained in the fund after the first round. A settlement fund is distributed to claimants who can actually be paid, and some payments in any large distribution are never cashed or cannot be delivered. Rather than leave that money idle, the court approved a further distribution by order dated May 6, 2026. The administrator's homepage does not set out a separate eligibility rule for the second round, so if you want to know whether you are in it, ask the administrator rather than trusting a third-party article.
How much is the Facebook privacy settlement?
The settlement agreement provided for a payment of $725 million by Meta, a figure Meta reports in its own annual filing with the SEC. What any one person receives is a different question, and much smaller: the class covers every Facebook user in the United States between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, so the fund is divided across an extremely large group after fees, costs and administration. Neither the court nor the administrator publishes a fixed per-person amount.
Can I still file a Facebook settlement claim?
No. The claim deadline was August 25, 2023 and it has not been reopened. The opt-out and objection deadlines both passed on July 26, 2023. If you did not file by the 2023 deadline, there is nothing to join now, and no lawyer can add you. Anyone offering to file a Facebook privacy settlement claim for you today is not describing something that exists.
I got an email about a Facebook settlement payment. Is it a scam?
Treat it carefully. The administrator publishes a fraud alert specifically about requests for sensitive personal information or for payment in order to receive a settlement award. The rule that catches almost every version of this: a legitimate settlement administrator never asks you to pay a fee, buy a card, or hand over full banking credentials to release your own money. If you are unsure, ignore the message and go to facebookuserprivacysettlement.com directly rather than through any link you were sent.
What was the Facebook privacy lawsuit about?
That Facebook allowed third-party developers, business partners and other entities to reach users' profile data — and the data of their friends — without meaningful consent, and did not adequately police what those third parties did with it afterwards. Cambridge Analytica is the name most people remember, but the case was broader than any single firm. Meta settled without any finding of liability.
Who is included in the Facebook settlement class?
Anyone who was a Facebook user in the United States at any point between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, inclusive, and who did not opt out by July 26, 2023. Being in the class is not the same as being paid: a payment also required a valid claim filed by August 25, 2023.
How do I check on my Facebook settlement payment?
Through the administrator at facebookuserprivacysettlement.com, which runs check reissue requests, payment instruction updates and claim fixes directly. We do not host the claim process, hold any claim data, and cannot look anything up for you.
Is the Facebook MDL finished?
The settlement is final and distributing, but the docket is not empty. MDL 2843 was still listed on the Judicial Panel's September 1, 2026 report with 33 actions pending in the Northern District of California, out of 50 historically. A settlement resolves the class it covers, not necessarily everything filed under the MDL.
Sources: Facebook User Privacy Settlement, official administrator … · Meta Platforms, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K, FY2025) — …; full list at the end of this page.
Track this docket
We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.
Sources
- U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports January 2, 2024 to September 1, 2026. Transferee court: Northern District of California, Vince Chhabria.
- Facebook User Privacy Settlement, official administrator site (update current as of May 15, 2026), Settlement Administrator, appointed by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Accessed September 11, 2026.
- Meta Platforms, Inc. annual report (Form 10-K, FY2025) — states the $725 million settlement payment and that it became final on May 14, 2025, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR). Accessed September 11, 2026.
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