BG Supreme Court Case Receives National Press Coverage

On October 14, partner Joshua I. Hammack made his debut at the Supreme Court of the United States. He presented oral argument in Salazar v. Paramount Global, a closely watched case concerning the scope of the federal Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). He argued against veteran Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement.

The case involves the disclosure by Paramount (now Skydance) of Mr. Salazar’s video-watching history to Facebook without his consent. Mr. Salazar sued, alleging Paramount’s conduct violated the VPPA. But both lower courts held Mr. Salazar was not a statutory “consumer” because he subscribed only to Paramount’s online newsletter, and not to its audiovisual goods or services. As a result, both lower courts dismissed his VPPA claim.

Bailey Glasser’s appellate team has been litigating this question across the country for years now. Mr. Hammack has argued the issue to the Second, Sixth, and D.C. Circuits. The Supreme Court’s ruling in this case will have significant implications for how streaming services and other platforms handle user data. And it will almost certainly affect the privacy rights of millions of Americans consumers.

To read more about the case and for a list of links, visit here.