One earlier example of programming, the 2020 film Cuties, sparked so much controversy over depicting the sexualization of children that a grand jury indicted the company over child exploitation charges.6 Crucially, this has exposed Netflix to significant contingent liability and material legal risk, incurred costs of litigation, regulatory enforcement, and compliance, and materially affected other segments of the business.
Corporate conductConfirmed
Netflix offices searched in Paris and Amsterdam
Netflix's offices in central Paris and Amsterdam were searched during a probe that began in November 2022.
Netflix under tax fraud investigation as offices in France and Netherlands raided
Privacy & surveillanceAllegation
Netflix is accused of opening Floridians' data for ads
Netflix is accused of opening Floridians' data to commercial brokers and advertising platforms after launching ads in November 2022, allegedly enabling advertisers to target users by life stage, income, and household composition.
The lawsuit claims Netflix opened Floridians’ data to commercial data brokers and advertising platforms after it launched advertisements in November 2022, allegedly allowing advertisers to “target Floridians by life stage, income, and household composition”.
Corporate conductAllegation
Netflix is accused of default autoplay feature
Netflix is accused of using a default autoplay feature that leads to binge watching.
MIAMI — Florida officials on Wednesday sued streaming giant Netflix, alleging it misleads parents about how it collects data on minors and harms children with features that lead to “binge watching” content.
Netflix features also try to keep children glued to screens, the lawsuit alleges, including through its default autoplay feature that leads to “binge watching.”
Corporate conductAllegation
Netflix is accused of monopolistic practices
DOJ launched an investigation into Netflix's business practices alleging monopolistic behavior.
Netflix Officially Under DOJ Antitrust Scrutiny “To Create A Monopoly” With Warner Bros Merger; Feds Want Details From Producers & Filmmakers On Streamer’s Leverage
That could raise red flags for global antitrust regulators over concerns that Netflix would have too much control over the streaming market. The company faces a lengthy Justice Department review and a possible US lawsuit seeking to block the deal if it doesn’t adopt some remedies to get it cleared, analysts said.
“We have not been given any notice or seen any other sign that the DOJ is conducting a monopolization investigation,” Netflix’s outside counsel Steve Sunshine said through a spokesperson.
The Justice Department has launched a sweeping review of Netflix’s operations, opening up a monopoly probe as the streaming giant attempts a $73 billion tie-up with Warner Bros.
The Netflix investigation could ultimately give the DOJ a legal argument against the Warner deal if it finds evidence of monopolistic control, though it is unlikely to wrap up the probe anytime soon.
Netflix Targeted With Shareholder Lawsuit Alleging Securities Fraud After Subscriber Miss
Netflix Shareholder Lawsuit Alleges Fraud After Subscriber MissNetflix Shareholder Lawsuit Alleges Fraud After Subscriber Miss
Corporate conductAllegation
Netflix was sued by shareholders for securities fraud over claims of false
Netflix investors have filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the streaming giant of securities fraud by making false and misleading statements regarding declining subscriber growth since October 2021.
Netflix investors have filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the streaming giant of securities fraud by making false and misleading statements regarding declining subscriber growth since October 2021.
Netflix Sued by Shareholders for Securities Fraud Over Subscriber Growth Claims
Media & the pressSettlement
Netflix settles defamation suit
Netflix settles defamation suit brought by ex-Vanity Fair staffer.
Netflix and the production company behind Afflicted settled a suit brought by subjects of the docuseries who said they were defamed when the show misrepresented their chronic illnesses.
Netflix and the production company behind Afflicted have settled a suit brought by subjects of the docuseries who said they were defamed when the show misrepresented their chronic illnesses.
Corporate conductAllegation
Florida sued Netflix
Florida has sued Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), and the case directly challenges the story Netflix has told advertisers, regulators, and parents for years: that a subscription streamer is a fundamentally different animal from a surveillance-driven social platform.
Florida has sued Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), and the case directly challenges the story Netflix has told advertisers, regulators, and parents for years: that a subscription streamer is a fundamentally different animal from a surveillance-driven social platform.
Netflix Said It Was Different From Facebook. A New Lawsuit Says It Tracked Kids for Ads Anyway.
Corporate conductAllegation
Netflix received a Wells Notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Netflix received what is known as a Wells Notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which means the SEC staff will recommend the full commission pursue either a cease-and-desist action and/or a civil injunction against Netflix and Hastings over the alleged violation.
Netflix received what is known as a Wells Notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which means the SEC staff will recommend the full commission pursue either a cease-and-desist action and/or a civil injunction against Netflix and Hastings over the alleged violation.
Corporate conductConfirmed
Netflix cancels The Abandons Western series
Netflix canceled The Abandons, a big-budget Western series starring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson.
The Dutch DPA announced in 2024 that it had found Netflix failed to properly inform customers in the 63 Netflix also did not disclose that they collect information from “choices made when engaging with interactive titles” until 2024, but they collected this information as early as 2018 with the release of Bandersnatch.
According to the lawsuit, it wasn’t until 2024 that Netflix, after an investigation by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA), “finally name-checked items in its privacy policy like ‘playback events (play, pause),’ ‘app clicks,’ ‘text input,’ and ‘time and duration.’
Netflix Sued by Republican Texas Attorney General, Who Alleges Service Is Designed to Be 'Addictive' and Is 'Spying' on UsersNetflix Sued by Republican Texas Attorney General, Who Alleges Service Is Designed to Be 'Addictive' and Is 'Spying' on Users
Those complaints were submitted to the Austrian data protection authority and forwarded to the Dutch SA, because Netflix has its main European establishment in the Netherlands.
Workplace equitySettlement
Netflix settlement over faces discrimination claim
In previous years, Netflix executives offered other comedians multi-million-dollar deals for their comedy specials, the lawsuit states.
Mo’Nique subsequently sued Netflix for refusing to budge beyond its initial opening offer. She accused the streamer of systematically underpaying Black women, pointing to eight-figure deals with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer, who allegedly leveraged other comedians’ compensation during negotiations and was paid 26 times more than what Mo’Nique was offered, according to the complaint.
Netflix in 2017 started to court Mo’Nique for a comedy special during a time it was aggressively ramping up its stand-up content, the complaint says.
Netflix has settled a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit from Mo’Nique in a case that could have found that the streamer retaliated against the comedian by refusing to engage in good-faith negotiations after she accused the company of discrimination for opening with a low-ball offer.
Netflix has settled its pay discrimination lawsuit with Mo'Nique, concluding legal action the actress and comedian filed against the streamer in 2019 over what was alleged to be a "lowball" offer for a one-hour comedy special, according to court documents obtained by TheWrap.
Mo'Nique's complaint accused Netflix of gender and race discrimination, saying that the company had given her a "low-ball" and "discriminatory" offer of $500,000 as a "talent fee" for a one-hour stand-up special, while other comedians were offered millions of dollars per special.