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The plaintiffs have also been allowed to move forward with some of their allegations that Google violated state consumer protection laws by collecting minors' data without parental consent. The court found that the plaintiffs’ allegations of privacy loss provided grounds for pursuing damages under the laws of several states, including Indiana, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Additionally, the court determined that the plaintiffs could seek equitable relief under the laws of Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Tennessee. However, the judge dismissed the claims against the various YouTube channel owners, such as Cartoon Network, Hasbro Studios, Mattel, and PocketWatch, as the plaintiffs did not show that these companies directly participated in the collection of data. "Unquestionably, the channel owners did not engage in that collection," Judge van Keulen wrote, rejecting any direct liability for them. Furthermore, the judge agreed to dismiss the plaintiffs' unjust enrichment claims. She found that the plaintiffs had failed to demonstrate that the defendants were unjustly enriched, as users do not pay for access to YouTube, and the plaintiffs did not sufficiently challenge the defendants' arguments. This decision marks a significant milestone in a case that has been ongoing for over five years. It follows a $170 million settlement in 2019 between Google, YouTube, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and New York’s Attorney General over allegations that YouTube violated COPPA by knowingly collecting children's data. The case was initially dismissed by U.S. District Judge Beth Freeman in 2021, but the Ninth Circuit revived the lawsuit in 2023, ruling that state law privacy claims were not preempted by COPPA. The plaintiffs then filed multiple amended complaints, including a 191-page complaint in late 2023. Although the case has faced several challenges, Judge van Keulen's ruling allows the litigation to continue against Google and YouTube. However, the claims against other defendants have been significantly narrowed. Representatives for the parties could not be reached for comment. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from Pritzker Levine LLP and Silver Golub & Teitell LLP, while Google and YouTube are represented by Hogan Lovells. The various other defendants are represented by law firms including Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, and Venable LLP. The case is Nichole Hubbard et al. v. Google LLC et al., case number 5:19-cv-07016, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.