Biddle v. Disney

The Notice explains that a settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit that may affect you if you are a person, business association, entity, or corporation who purchased a YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream subscription from the period beginning April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2026.

The Honorable Edward J. Davila of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California is overseeing this class action. The lawsuit is known as Heather Biddle, et al. v. The Walt Disney Company, Case No. 5:22-cv-07317-EJD (the “lawsuit”).

The Notice only applies to the YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream Plaintiffs (together, “Settling Plaintiffs”). FuboTV Plaintiffs have not settled with Defendant.

The individuals who filed this lawsuit are called the “Plaintiffs” and/or “Class Representatives” and the company sued, The Walt Disney Company, is called the “Defendant.”

In a class action, one or more people (called class representatives) sue on behalf of all people who have similar legal claims. Together, all these people are called a class or class members. One court resolves the issues for all class members, except for those class members who timely exclude themselves (opt out) from the class.

The Settling Plaintiffs allege Defendant violated federal antitrust law and various state antitrust and consumer-protection laws by engaging in various forms of conduct to raise the prices of SLPTV and that these acts caused the Settlement Classes to incur damages.

Defendant denies the legal claims and denies any wrongdoing or liability. No court or other judicial entity has made any judgment or other determination of any wrongdoing by Defendant, or that any law has been violated.

The Settling Plaintiffs and Defendant do not agree about the legal claims made in this lawsuit. The lawsuit has not gone to trial, and the Court has not decided in favor of the Settling Plaintiffs or Defendant. Instead, the Settling Plaintiffs and Defendant have agreed to settle the lawsuit. The Settling Plaintiffs and their lawyers believe the Settlement is best for the Settlement Classes because of the Settlement benefits available and the risks and uncertainty associated with continuing the lawsuit.

The Settlement Classes consist of the YouTube TV Settlement Class and the DirecTV Stream Settlement Class.

The “YouTube TV Settlement Class” consists of all Persons who purchased a YouTube TV subscription from the period beginning April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2026.

The “DirecTV Stream Settlement Class” consists of all Persons who purchased a DirecTV streaming live pay TV subscription (branded at various times as, at least, DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now, and AT&T TV Now) from the period beginning April 1, 2019, through March 31, 2026.

The Settlement requires the Net Settlement Fund (i.e., the Gross Settlement Fund less notice and settlement administration costs, attorney’s fees, and certain other costs and fees) be allocated between Settlement Class Members in “Repealer Jurisdictions” and Settlement Class Members in “Non-Repealer Jurisdictions.”

The Repealer Jurisdictions include Settlement Class Members in the following states and United States territories: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Settlement Class Members located in all remaining states are considered part of Non-Repealer Jurisdictions.

Yes. Excluded from the Settlement Classes are Disney, its employees, officers, directors, legal representatives, heirs, successors, and wholly or partly owned subsidiaries or Affiliates; counsel for the Parties and their employees; and the judicial officers and immediate family members and associated Court staff assigned to this lawsuit.

If you are still not sure whether you are a Settlement Class Member, you may review Documents pertaining to this Settlement here or call toll-free 1-877-704-2517.

If the Settlement is approved, Defendant will pay $50 million ($50,000,000) to resolve all Settlement Class Members’ legal claims against Defendant for the Released Claims (as defined in the Settlement Agreement).

90% of the Net Settlement Fund will be allocated for payments to Settlement Class Members who resided in a Repealer Jurisdiction at any time during the class period. 10% of the Net Settlement Fund will be allocated for payments to the remaining Settlement Class Members located in the Non-Repealer Jurisdictions.

If you are a member of the Settlement Classes, you can submit a claim form to receive a pro rata (a legal term meaning equal share) cash payment proportional to the length of your YouTube TV and/or DirecTV Stream subscription.

If you have both a YouTube TV and a DirecTV Stream subscription and would like to receive a cash payment for each subscription, please submit one claim form containing information for both subscriptions.

DirecTV Stream subscriptions include subscriptions for DirecTV streaming pay live television services such as DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now, and AT&T TV Now.

In addition to this monetary benefit, Defendant has also agreed to certain non-monetary relief including commitments related to their business practices.

Unless you exclude yourself (opt out), you will remain in one or both of the Settlement Classes. If the Settlement is approved and becomes Final, all Court orders and any judgments will apply to you and legally bind you. You will not be able to sue, continue to sue, or be part of any other lawsuit against the Releasees about the Released Claims in this lawsuit. The specific rights you are giving up are called “Released Claims.”

Sections 10-14 of the Settlement Agreement describes the Releases, Released Claims, and Releasees in necessary legal terminology, so please read this section carefully. The Settlement Agreement is available here. For questions regarding the Releases, Released Claims, or Releasees, and what the language in the Settlement Agreement means, you can also contact Class Counsel listed below for free, or you can talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you must submit a timely and valid claim form to receive a cash payment as described above. Your claim form must be submitted by September 8, 2026, or mailed to the Settlement Administrator at the address on the claim form, postmarked by September 8, 2026. Claim forms are also available here or by calling 1-877-704-2517 or by writing to:

Biddle v. Disney
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4720
Portland, OR 97208-4720

If you change your mailing address or email address after you submit a claim form, it is your responsibility to inform the Settlement Administrator of your updated information. You may notify the Settlement Administrator of any changes by sending an email to info@OnlineTVSettlement.com, or by writing to:

Biddle v. Disney
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4720
Portland, OR 97208-4720

If you file a timely and valid claim form, the cash payment will be provided after the Settlement is approved by the Court and becomes Final.

It may take time for the Settlement to be approved and become Final. Please be patient and check this website for updates.

If you do nothing, you will remain a member of the Settlement Classes and may participate in the Settlement and submit a timely and valid claim form.

If you want to sue Defendant on your own regarding the same legal claims in this lawsuit or the Released Claims, or already have your own lawsuit against Defendant regarding the same legal claims in this lawsuit or the Released Claims and you want to continue with it, you need to ask to be excluded from the Settlement Classes. If you exclude or remove yourself from the Settlement Classes—sometimes called “opting out” of the class—you will not get any money or benefits from this Settlement. However, you may be able to sue or continue to sue Defendant on your own. If you exclude yourself, you will not be legally bound by the Court’s judgments in this class action lawsuit.

If you start your own lawsuit or continue with an existing lawsuit against Defendant regarding the same legal claims in this lawsuit or the Released Claims after you exclude yourself, you will have to hire your own lawyer(s) for that lawsuit, and you will have to prove your legal claims. If you exclude yourself so you can start or continue your own lawsuit against Defendant, you should talk to your own lawyer soon, because your legal claims may be subject to a statute of limitations, meaning that you may face a deadline after which you cannot sue.

To exclude yourself from one or both of the Settlement Classes, you must mail a written request for exclusion, which includes the following:

1. Your full legal name, mailing address, telephone number
2. Your personal physical signature and date or the signature of your officer or legal representative
3. A statement that you want to be excluded from one or both of the Settlement Classes, such as “I hereby request to be excluded from the YouTube TV Settlement Class in Biddle v. Disney” or “I hereby request to be excluded from the DirecTV Stream Settlement Class in Biddle v. Disney.”

The exclusion request must be mailed via First Class United States Mail (or United States Mail for overnight delivery) to the Settlement Administrator at the following address, and be postmarked by September 8, 2026:

Biddle v. Disney
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4720
Portland, OR 97208-4720

“Mass” or “class” requests for exclusion filed by third parties on behalf of a “mass” or “class” of Settlement Class Members or multiple Settlement Class Members where the opt out has not been signed by each and every individual Settlement Class Members will not be allowed.

No. If you exclude yourself, you will not be eligible to receive a cash payment. You also will not be legally bound by the Court’s judgments if you exclude yourself. You will be able to sue (or continue to sue) Defendant on your own about the legal claims that are involved in this lawsuit, now or in the future, assuming your legal claims are not time-barred or otherwise prohibited (you should consult your own lawyer to make such a determination).

No. Unless you exclude yourself from the Settlement Classes, you give up the right to sue Defendant for the legal claims that the Settlement resolves and Releases (including the legal claims in this lawsuit and legal claims arising from the same facts) and you will be bound by all the terms of the Settlement. If you have a pending lawsuit against Defendant, speak to your lawyer for that lawsuit immediately to determine whether you must exclude yourself from this lawsuit to continue your own lawsuit against Defendant.

You can ask the Court to deny approval by filing an objection. You cannot ask the Court to order a different settlement; the Court can only approve or reject the Settlement. If the Court denies approval, no cash payments will be sent out, and the lawsuit will continue. If that is what you want to happen, you should object.

If you are a Settlement Class Member, you can tell the Court you do not agree with all or any part of the Settlement and/or proposed Distribution Plan, request for attorney’s fees and costs, and requested Service Awards.

To object, you must file your timely written objection with the Court as provided below by December 1, 2026, stating you object to the Settlement in Heather Biddle, et al. v. The Walt Disney Company, Case No. 5:22-cv-07317-EJD. To file an objection, you cannot exclude yourself from the Settlement Classes. Your objection must include all of the following information:

1. Your full name, mailing address, telephone number
2. All grounds for the objection, accompanied by any legal support for the objection known to you as the objector or your own lawyer
3. Identify whether your objection is to the Settlement in part or in whole
4. State whether the objection applies only to you as the objector, a subset of one or both of the Settlement Classes, or the entirety of one or both of the Settlement Classes
5. Your signature as the objector (a lawyer’s signature is not sufficient)

To object, you must file your timely written objection with the Court by December 1, 2026, at the following address:

Class Action Clerk
U.S. District Court
Northern District of California
280 South 1st Street
Room 2112
San Jose, CA 95113

Objecting is simply telling the Court that you do not like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in one or both of the Settlement Classes. Opting out is telling the Court that you do not want to be part of the Settlement Classes. If you opt out, you cannot object because you are no longer part of the Settlement.

Yes, the Court has appointed Bathaee Dunne LLP as Class Counsel for the Settlement Classes to represent you and the Settlement Classes for the purposes of this lawsuit. You may hire your own lawyer at your own cost and expense if you want someone other than Class Counsel to represent you in this lawsuit.

Class Counsel will file a motion asking the Court to award attorney’s fees up to 30% of the Gross Settlement Fund ($15,000,000) and reasonable costs. Class Counsel will also ask the Court to approve a Service Award of up to $5,000 for each Class Representative for participating in this lawsuit and for their efforts in achieving the Settlement. If awarded by the Court, the attorney’s fees and costs and the service awards will be paid from the Gross Settlement Fund. The Court may award less than these amounts.

Class Counsel’s application for attorney’s fees, costs, and Service Awards will be made available here before the deadline for you to object to the Settlement.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on January 14, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. before the Honorable Edward J. Davila at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Courtroom 4 – 5th Floor, 280 S. 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and decide whether to approve the Settlement, the proposed distribution plan, class counsel’s request for attorney’s fees and costs, and Service Awards.

If there are objections that were filed by the deadline, the Court will consider them. If you file a timely objection, and you (or your lawyer) ask to speak at the hearing, the Court may hear objections at the hearing.

Note: The date and time of the Final Approval Hearing are subject to change without further notice to the Settlement Classes. The Court may also decide to hold the hearing via video conference or by telephone. You should check here at this Settlement website or the Court’s PACER website to confirm the date and time of the Final Approval Hearing has not changed.

No. Class Counsel will answer any questions the Court may have. However, you are welcome to attend at your own expense. If you file an objection, you do not have to attend the Final Approval Hearing to speak about it. As long as you file your written objection by the deadline, the Court will consider it.

If there are objections that were filed by the deadline, the Court will consider them. If you file a timely objection, and you (or your lawyer) ask to speak at the hearing, the Court may hear objections at the hearing.

The Notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. For the precise terms of the Settlement, please see the Settlement Agreement available here or by calling 1-877-704-2517 or by writing to:

Biddle v. Disney
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4720
Portland, OR 97208-4720

You may also contact Class Counsel at the following address:

Yavar Bathaee
BATHAEE DUNNE LLP
445 Park Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
yavar@bathaeedunne.com

You may also access the Court docket in this lawsuit, for a fee, through the Court’s Public Access to Electronic Records (PACER) system at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov, or by visiting the office of the Clerk of the Court for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays. To learn about PACER and register for a PACER account, go to https://www.Pacer.gov/ . Once you have a PACER account, you can access and retrieve Documents from the Court’s docket for the Action at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.