YouTube to pay $38m in Trump lawsuit settlement
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The news: Google parent company Alphabet has settled a lawsuit launched by US President Donald Trump for USD24.5 million ($37.2 million) after his YouTube account was suspended following the 6 January 2021 riot on the US Capitol.
The numbers: According to court filings, Alphabet will pay USD22 million to the non-profit organisation, the Trust for the Nation Mall to “support the construction of the White House State Ballroom”.
A further USD2.5 million goes to other plaintiffs in the case, which includes the American Conservative Union and the writer Naomi Wolf.
The context: Alphabet is the last to settle among three lawsuits launched by Trump against big tech companies shortly after the first term of his presidency.
In January, Meta agreed to pay USD25 million to settle a case relating to the suspension of Trump’s Facebook account following the Capitol riot, of which USD22 million will fund Trump’s presidential library.
Elon Musk’s X settled a similar account suspension case, which was initiated before Musk acquired Twitter, in February for USD10 million, of which most was reportedly pocketed by Trump.
The sources: US district court filing, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg
