Samsung Smart TV Lawsuit: The ACR Viewing-Data Cases
Active Litigation
The Samsung smart TV lawsuit in the news is Tillery v. Samsung Electronics America, filed in federal court in Northern California on October 6, 2026. It says Samsung TVs identify what is on your screen and feed that data to advertising without real consent. It follows a Texas case Samsung settled in February 2026 and a New York class action the plaintiffs dropped in July 2026. As of October 2026 there is no settlement, no fund and no claim form.
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What the Lawsuit Says Samsung TVs Do
All three cases target Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which Samsung's TV menus call “Viewing Information Services.” ACR samples the picture or sound on screen and matches it to known content, whatever the source: broadcast, streaming apps, a game console or a laptop on HDMI.
The Tillery complaint alleges that Samsung tells people setting up its TVs that it “neither collects any video footage nor any content displayed on the device” — and that this statement is false. It alleges the screen data goes to servers that feed Samsung's advertising business, and that consent is buried behind vague feature names and a long setup process.
The Texas petition alleges ACR captures audio and video from more than 73 million Samsung Smart TVs in the U.S. every 500 milliseconds. It also says a full opt-out takes two separate settings in different menus. Samsung has not been found liable for any of this.
Case details
The new case: Tillery, et al. v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-11448, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, filed October 6, 2026 and assigned to Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. The plaintiffs plead invasion of privacy, negligence, unjust enrichment and violations of privacy laws, and seek damages and public injunctive relief. They are represented by Siri & Glimstad LLP and Privacy Rights Law LLC.
The dropped New York case: DiGiacinto v. Samsung Electronics America, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-00196 (S.D.N.Y.), was filed January 9, 2026 before Judge Gregory Howard Woods III under the federal Video Privacy Protection Act. The five plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on July 14, 2026. One of them, Danielle Tillery, is now the lead plaintiff in the California case.
The Texas case: The State of Texas sued Samsung Electronics America and Samsung Electronics Co. in Texas state court on December 15, 2025 under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, together with separate suits against Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL.
Status: New Federal Case, No Settlement
The Texas agreement of February 26, 2026 is a different kind of result. Under it, Samsung must stop collecting or processing ACR viewing data without Texas consumers' express consent and update its TVs with clear consent screens. The Attorney General's announcement describes no payments to consumers. Texas's cases against Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL were still ongoing at that point.
Samsung's consumer terms also include an arbitration clause, which has stopped other Samsung class actions — see our Samsung class action overview.
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Who the Proposed Class Covers
The Tillery complaint seeks to represent anyone in the United States whose Samsung smart TV collected, analyzed or transmitted viewing information. It also proposes a class of people whose viewing data was linked to identity data. These are proposed classes; a judge has not approved them.
You do not need to sign up anywhere to be included. If a class is ever certified or a settlement is reached, notice goes out through a court-appointed administrator. The plaintiffs say they would not have bought their TVs, or would have paid less, had they known about the tracking — so receipts or order confirmations showing when you bought a Samsung TV are worth keeping.
Texas residents: the February 2026 agreement covers how Samsung collects data from Texans going forward. It is not a claims process.
Is There Money? Not Yet
Texas sought civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation in its petition, plus up to $250,000 more where a consumer aged 65 or older was targeted. Those are penalties paid to the state, not to TV owners, and the Attorney General's announcement of the Samsung agreement mentions no consumer payments. For how privacy class actions have tended to pay out when they do settle, see our guide to average invasion-of-privacy settlements — that is context, not a forecast for this case.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 129,730 other contract casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026, 6% of them filed as class actions:
- 30.7% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 20.2% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 30.7% and 50.9%.
- 7.5% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 72 reached a trial (1.4%), after a median of 29.3 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 7.6 months.
- Only 7,691 of them (5.9%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $407,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal other contract cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Samsung Smart TV Lawsuit Timeline
December 15, 2025 — Texas Sues Five TV Makers
The Texas Attorney General sues Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL, alleging ACR captures screenshots every 500 milliseconds without consent.
January 9, 2026 — New York Class Action Filed
Five TV owners file DiGiacinto v. Samsung (1:26-cv-00196) in Manhattan federal court, alleging violations of the Video Privacy Protection Act.
February 26, 2026 — Samsung Settles With Texas
Samsung agrees to stop collecting ACR data from Texans without express consent and to add clear consent screens. No consumer payments are announced.
July 14, 2026 — New York Case Dropped
The DiGiacinto plaintiffs file a notice of voluntary dismissal. Bloomberg Law reported the dismissal on July 15.
October 6, 2026 — Tillery Filed in California
Three owners, including a former New York plaintiff, file No. 3:26-cv-11448 in the Northern District of California, seeking a nationwide class.
As of October 23, 2026 — Opening Stage
The Tillery docket shows only opening filings. No class certification, no settlement, no claim form and no deadline.
Three Things to Watch For
A brand that sits in tens of millions of living rooms and a fresh headline is an easy hook:
“Samsung TV settlement — claim your payment”
There is no Samsung ACR settlement and no claim form. The Texas agreement pays nothing to consumers. A site asking for your TV serial number, card details or Social Security number to “release your share” is collecting data, not filing a claim.
Social posts that say “DM us YES”
Posts about this lawsuit invite owners to message them to “learn more.” Those are lead-generation funnels for law firms or worse, not the court. You are already in any proposed class without messaging anyone.
Fake Samsung support calls about “your TV's privacy”
Turning off ACR takes two menu settings on the TV itself. No one needs remote access to your TV or computer, a gift card or a fee to do it for you.
Samsung Smart TV Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Short answers to the questions people ask most about this case.
What is the Samsung smart TV lawsuit about?
It is about Automatic Content Recognition, which Samsung calls Viewing Information Services. The Tillery class action, filed October 6, 2026, alleges Samsung TVs identify what is on screen and share that data for advertising without informed consent. Samsung has not been found liable.
Is there a Samsung TV settlement I can claim?
No. As of October 23, 2026 there is no settlement, no fund, no administrator and no claim form. Samsung's February 2026 agreement with Texas changes how it collects data from Texans; it does not pay consumers.
Is it worth joining a class action lawsuit?
There is nothing to join here yet. In a federal class action you are included automatically if a class is certified, unless you opt out by the deadline in the official notice. The real choice comes only if a settlement is announced: file a claim, object or opt out.
How do I turn off ACR on a Samsung Smart TV?
Press Home, go to Settings, then Support, Terms & Privacy and Privacy Choices (on some models: All Settings, General & Privacy, Terms & Privacy), and turn off Viewing Information Services. The Texas petition says a full opt-out also requires turning off Interest-Based Ads, which sits in a different part of the menu. Menu names vary by model year.
What happened to the New York Samsung TV class action?
DiGiacinto v. Samsung, No. 1:26-cv-00196, was voluntarily dismissed by its five plaintiffs on July 14, 2026. No settlement was announced. One of those plaintiffs is a lead plaintiff in the new California case.
What did Samsung agree to in Texas?
Per the Texas Attorney General's announcement of February 26, 2026, Samsung must halt ACR collection without Texas consumers' express consent and update its TVs with clear and conspicuous disclosures and consent screens. Texas's suits against Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL continued.
Will Samsung replace my TV or give a refund?
Nothing in these cases offers replacements or refunds. The Tillery plaintiffs argue owners overpaid because of the hidden tracking, but that is a claim for damages that a court has not ruled on. For defects or repairs, Samsung's warranty is the route, not this lawsuit.
Do other TV brands face the same lawsuits?
Yes. Texas sued Sony, LG, Hisense and TCL alongside Samsung on December 15, 2025. The Tillery complaint also points to a 2017 settlement between the FTC, the New Jersey Attorney General and Vizio over similar viewing-data practices. See our page on the LG TV class action lawsuit.
About This Information
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology. Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated - $236 billion in real payouts analyzed · See what we found
This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Lawsuit status, eligibility, and compensation can change. Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not represent any party. Consult a licensed attorney about your specific situation.
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