Judge Grants Preliminary Approval to $120 Million Settlement Over Pornhub Minor Content

A federal judge in Los Angeles has preliminarily approved a $120 million class action settlement resolving allegations that the parent company of Pornhub profited from explicit sexual images of minors. U.S. District Judge Wesley Hsu issued a tentative ruling accepting the agreement, which attorneys for both sides formally accepted during a downtown Los Angeles court hearing.

The settlement resolves two federal class action lawsuits, originally filed in Alabama and California, against MindGeek, the company renamed Aylo in 2023. The lawsuits alleged that the site violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act by financially benefiting from child sexual abuse material uploaded by users. Plaintiffs asserted that the company failed for years to implement age-verification systems or basic safeguards to prevent illegal uploads.

Key Ruling on Section 230 Legal Protections

Before reaching the settlement, the company sought to dismiss the litigation by citing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that generally shields internet platforms from legal liability over content posted by third-party users. MindGeek argued that its platform should be treated like other online sites where similar legal claims had been dismissed in past court actions.

However, Judge Hsu rejected that defense last year. He noted that the lawsuits specifically accused site moderators of assisting users in posting child pornography and making the illicit content easy for visitors to discover. Ruling against the company’s dismissal motion, Judge Hsu stated that Section 230

“It is not intended to protect MindGeek from its own malfeasance.”

Policy Changes Required Under the Settlement

In addition to establishing the $120 million fund, Montreal-based Aylo agreed to implement major operational changes across its video platforms. Under the terms submitted to the court, the company must require government-issued identification to verify that both the uploaders and any individuals depicted in videos are at least 18 years old.

The company also committed to expanding its active content moderation team to detect and remove child sexual abuse material. Furthermore, Aylo agreed to enhance its internal procedures for handling public content removal requests promptly, addressing long-standing complaints about slow or inadequate responses to take-down demands.

Who Is Affected and How to Understand Your Options

The class action settlement applies to any individual who was under 18 years old when sexually explicit content depicting them was made viewable on MindGeek websites between February 12, 2011, and December 6, 2024. For individuals falling within this timeframe, the settlement creates a structured process for seeking financial compensation from the overall settlement fund.

Participation in the class settlement is not mandatory for everyone affected. A group of 15 women chose to opt out of the class action so they could pursue individual child trafficking lawsuits. Their separate lawsuits target MindGeek as well as its financial backers and payment facilitators, seeking direct liability against entities that processed payments for the platform. Those individual cases remain pending before Judge Hsu.

Anyone who believes their rights were violated or who faces complex legal decisions regarding class action settlements or individual claims may benefit from speaking with an attorney to evaluate their legal options.

This article is general information based on Courthouse News Service and court or agency records available at publication time. It is not legal advice; laws and deadlines differ by state and by case. Published November 7, 2026.