June 3, 2025
Cohen Milstein’s Eric Kafka, a data privacy and consumer protection partner, named interim co-lead counsel
NEW YORK – Today, a California federal judge appointed Eric Kafka, a data privacy and consumer protection partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, to co-lead In Re: Tiktok, Inc., Minor Privacy Litigation, a consolidated multidistrict litigation (MDL) about TikTok’s collection and use of children’s personal information.
TikTok, one of the world’s largest social media platforms, has millions of users in the United States. Parents of children who are under the age of 13, claim that TikTok collects and uses the personal information of children without notifying parents or gaining parents’ verified consent in violation of COPPA and the COPPA Rule.
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated six class actions into the MDL on April 3, 2025 before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and assigned the Honorable George H. Wu to preside.
“I’m incredibly honored by Judge Wu’s appointment. This is a critical case for protecting children’s privacy rights. I look forward to seeking justice on behalf of the millions of families who have been impacted by TikTok collecting their children’s personal information.” said Eric A Kafka, a partner at Cohen Milstein.
In 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against TikTok for violating COPPA and the COPPA Rule. In March 2019, the Central District of California permanently enjoined TikTok from collecting and using personal information from children under the age of 13 without notifying their parents or gaining their parents’ verifiable consent. However, TikTok continued to violate COPPA. Then in August 2024, the DOJ filed a new lawsuit against TikTok – again for violating COPPA and illegally collecting and using personal information of young children.
Kafka is known for litigating high-stakes data privacy and unfair business class actions against major technology companies. In 2020, he helped successfully settle LLE One v. Facebook (N.D. Cal.) for $40 million. He is currently litigating DZ Reserve v. Meta Platforms (N.D. Cal.) and In re Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation (N.D. Cal.).
Along with Kafka, the court appointed Derek Loeser of Keller Rohrback LLP as interim co-lead counsel.
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