Stoudemire, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc.

 Stoudemire, et al. v. Lee Enterprises, Inc.

United States District Court for the District for the Southern District of Iowa

Case No. 3:22-cv-00086-SHL-WP

SUMMARY

  • A proposed Settlement in the above-reference matters has been reached with regard to a class action lawsuit that was filed against Lee Enterprises, Inc. (“Lee” or “Defendant”). Under the terms of the proposed Settlement, Defendant will establish a Settlement Fund of $9,500,000.00 to pay all valid claims submitted by the Settlement Class, together with notice and administration expenses, attorneys' fees and costs, and an incentive award. In the class action lawsuit, Plaintiffs allege Lee disclosed Plaintiffs’ and Settlement Class Members’ personally identifiable information (“PII”) to Facebook through use of tracking methods without consent in violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (the “VPPA”). The VPPA defines PII to include information which identifies a person as having requested or obtained specific video materials or services from a video tape service provider. Lee denies that it has violated the VPPA or any other law. The parties have agreed to the settlement without any admission of liability and solely to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with continuing the lawsuit.
  • You are included in the Settlement Class if you are a person in the United States who, from December 19, 2020, until March 4, 2025, had a Facebook account, were a subscriber of a Lee publication, and requested or accessed video material on a Lee website during that time.
  • Persons included in the proposed Settlement will be eligible to receive a pro rata (meaning equal) portion of the Settlement Fund, which Class Counsel anticipates will be approximately $41.01. The proposed Settlement also includes injunctive relief.
  • Your unique Login and Password included in the Notice emailed or mailed to you will be required to access the Claim Form.
  • Read the Notice carefully. Your legal rights are affected whether you act, or don’t act.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT
SUBMIT A CLAIM FORM BY JULY 17, 2025 This is the only way to receive a payment.
EXCLUDE YOURSELF BY JULY 17, 2025 You will receive no benefits, but you will retain any rights you currently have to sue the Defendant about the claims in this case.
OBJECT BY JULY 17, 2025 Write to the Court explaining why you don’t like the Settlement.
GO TO THE HEARING ON DECEMBER 10, 2025 Ask to speak in Court about your opinion of the Settlement.
DO NOTHING You won’t get a share of the Settlement benefits and will give up your rights to sue the Defendant about the claims in this case.

Your rights and options—and the deadlines to exercise them—are explained in the Notice.