1. Why was the Notice issued?
2. What is a class action?
3. What is this lawsuit about?
4. Why is there a Settlement?
5. How do I know if I am in the Settlement Class?
6. What does the Settlement provide?
7. How much will my payment be?
8. When will I get my payment?
9. How do I get a payment?
10. What am I giving up if I stay in the Settlement Class?
11. What happens if I do nothing at all?
12. Do I have a lawyer in the case?
13. How will the lawyers be paid?
14. How do I get out of the Settlement?
15. If I don't exclude myself, can I sue the Defendant for the same thing later?
16. If I exclude myself, can I get anything from this Settlement?
17. How do I object to the Settlement?
18. What's the difference between objecting and excluding myself from the Settlement?
19. When and where will the Court decide whether to approve the Settlement?
20. Do I have to attend the hearing?
21. May I speak at the hearing?
22. Where can I get more information?
A Court authorized the Notice because you have a right to know about a proposed Settlement of this class action lawsuit and about all of your options, before the Court decides whether to give final approval to the Settlement. The Notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, and your legal rights.
The Honorable Lewis J. Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is overseeing this case. The case is called Lee v. Springer Nature America, Inc., Case No. 1:24-04493-LJL. The person who has sued is called the Plaintiff. The entity being sued, Springer Nature America, is called the Defendant.
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In a class action, one or more people called the class representatives (in this case, Plaintiff Mark Lee) sue on behalf of a group or a "class" of people who have similar claims. In a class action, the court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the class.
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This lawsuit claims that Springer Nature America violated the Video Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2710, et seq. ("VPPA"), by disclosing its subscribers' personally identifiable information ("PII") to Meta via the Meta Pixel (a piece of code Springer Nature America installed across its Scientific American website) without its subscribers' consent. 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. Springer Nature America denies that it violated any law. The Court has not determined who is right. Rather, the Parties have agreed to settle the lawsuit to avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with ongoing litigation.
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The Court has not decided whether the Plaintiff or Springer Nature America should win this case. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement. That way, they avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with ongoing litigation, and Settlement Class Members will get compensation.
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The Settlement Class is defined as:
All persons in the United States who: (1) possessed login credentials for Springer Nature America’s website; (2) possessed a Facebook account; and (3) requested or obtained video content from and/or through any of Springer Nature America’s services during the period from June 12, 2022, to and through July 31, 2025 while logged into Facebook. |
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Monetary Relief: Springer Nature America will pay $850,000.00 to create a Settlement Fund.
Prospective Changes: In addition to this monetary relief, the Settlement also requires Springer Nature America to suspend operation of the Meta Pixel and other tracking technologies on any pages on its website that both include video content and have a URL that identifies the video content viewed, unless and until the VPPA is: (a) amended to expressly permit (and not prohibit) the Released Claims, (b) repealed, or (c) invalidated by a judicial decision on the use of website pixel technology by the United States Supreme Court or the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
A detailed description of the settlement benefits can be found in the Settlement Agreement.
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After deducting any Court-approved attorneys' fees and expenses, service award for the class representative, and costs of settlement administration, the Settlement Fund will be distributed to Settlement Class Members on a pro rata basis. This means each Settlement Class Member who submits a valid claim will be paid an equal share from the Net Settlement Fund.
The amount of the payments to individual Class Members will depend on the number of valid claims that are filed. Because the final payment amount cannot be calculated before all claims are received and verified, it will not be possible to provide an accurate estimate of the payment amount before the deadline to file claims.
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The Court will hold a hearing to consider the fairness of the Settlement on October 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. If the Court approves the Settlement, eligible Settlement Class Members whose claims were approved by the Settlement Administrator will receive their payment within 90 days after the Settlement has been finally approved and/or any appeals process is complete. In submitting their claims, Settlement Class Members can choose whether to receive their payment via Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or paper check. All checks will expire and become void unless cashed within 180 days after the date of issuance.
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If you are a Settlement Class Member and you want to receive payment, you must complete and submit a Claim Form by September 14, 2025. Claim Forms may be submitted online here, or by printing and mailing a paper Claim Form, copies of which are available for download here.
Settlement Class Members are encouraged to submit claims online. Not only is it easier and more secure, but it is completely free and takes only minutes!
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If the Settlement becomes final, you will give up (or "release") your rights to sue Springer Nature America and certain of its affiliates (Released Parties) regarding the Released Claims, which are described and defined in Paragraphs 1.25 and 1.26 of the Settlement Agreement. Unless you exclude yourself (see Question 14), you will release the Released Claims, regardless of whether you submit a claim or not. You may access the Settlement Agreement here.
The Settlement Agreement describes the Released Claims with specific descriptions, so read it carefully. If you have any questions you may speak to the lawyers listed in Question 12 for free or you may, of course, speak to your own lawyer.
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If you do nothing, you will not receive any monetary benefit from this Settlement. Further, if you do not exclude yourself, you will be unable to start a lawsuit or be part of any other lawsuit brought against Springer Nature America regarding the Released Claims.
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The Court has appointed Allen Carney and Sam Jackson of Carney Bates & Pulliam PLLC to be the attorneys representing the Settlement Class. They are called "Class Counsel." After conducting an extensive investigation, they believe that the Settlement Agreement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the Settlement Class. You will not be charged for these lawyers. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer in this case, you may hire one at your own expense.
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Class Counsel's attorneys' fees, costs, and expenses will be paid from the Settlement Fund in an amount determined and awarded by the Court. Class Counsel is entitled to seek up to one-third of the $850,000.00 Settlement Fund, but the Court may award less than this amount.
Class Counsel may also seek a Service Award of up to $25,000.00 for the Class Representative for his service in helping to bring and settle the case. The Service Award will be paid out of the Settlement Fund, but the Court may award less than this amount.
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To exclude yourself from the Settlement Class, you must mail or otherwise deliver a letter stating that you wish to be excluded. Your letter must include:
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No. Unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to sue Springer Nature America for the Released Claims being resolved by this Settlement.
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No. If you exclude yourself, you may not submit a Claim Form to receive a monetary benefit.
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If you're a Settlement Class Member, you may ask the Court to deny approval by filing an objection. You may object to any aspect of the Settlement, Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees and expenses, or the request for a Service Award. You can give reasons why you think the Court should not give its approval. The Court will consider your views.
If you choose to make an objection, you must mail or file with the Court a letter or brief stating that you object to the Settlement. Your letter or brief must include the name and number of this case, Lee v. Springer Nature America, Inc., Case No. 1:24-04493-LJL, as well as the following information:
| Class Counsel | Defendant's Counsel |
| Allen Carney Carney Bates & Pulliam, PLLC One Allied Dr., Ste. 1400 Little Rock, AR 72202 Email: acarney@cbplaw.com | Sharon Schneier Davis Wright Tremaine LLP 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 21st Floor New York, NY 10020-1104 Email: sharonschneier@dwt.com |
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Objecting simply means telling the Court that you don't like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Settlement Class. Excluding yourself from the Settlement Class is telling the Court that you don't want to be part of the Settlement Class. If you exclude yourself, you have no right to object or file a Claim Form because the case no longer affects you.
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The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing at November 6, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., in Courtroom 15C at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, 500 Pearl St., New York, NY 10007. The purpose of the hearing will be for the Court to determine whether to approve the Settlement as fair, reasonable, adequate, and in the best interests of the Class; to consider Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees and expenses; and to consider the request for a Service Award to the Class Representative. At that hearing, the Court will be available to hear any objections and arguments concerning the fairness of the Settlement.
The hearing may be postponed to a different date or time without notice, so it is a good idea to check this website or contact Class Counsel at acarney@cbplaw.com. If, however, you timely objected to the Settlement and advised the Court that you intend to appear and speak at the Final Approval Hearing, you will receive notice of any change in the date of such Final Approval Hearing.
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No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have, but you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection or comment, you don't have to attend the hearing to talk about it. As long as you filed and mailed your written objection on time, the Court will consider it. You may also retain your own lawyer (at your own expense) to attend, but it's not required.
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Yes. You may ask the Court for permission to speak at the Final Approval Hearing. To do so, you must include in your letter or brief objecting to the Settlement a statement saying that your or your attorney intend to appear at the Final Approval Hearing.
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This website and the Notice contain only a summary of the Settlement and the proceedings to date. More details are in the Settlement Agreement. You can get a copy of the Settlement Agreement, along with other case-relevant documents, on the Important Documents page. You may also write with questions to the Settlement Administrator at:
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