Alla Rada, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated v. Versant Media, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC

District Court, S.D. New York·Decided July 31, 2026·No. 1:25-cv-10679·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ALLA RADA, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated,

Plaintiff, 25-cv-10679 (ALC) -against- OPINION & ORDER

VERSANT MEDIA, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC, Defendants. ANDREW L. CARTER, JR., United States District Judge: Plaintiff Alla Rada, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated, brings the instant action against Defendants Versant Media, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC, alleging violations of the Federal Wiretap Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2150; the California Invasion of Privacy Act, Cal. Penal Code §§ 631, 638; the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Cal. Civ. Code. §1770; the California Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200; and other various torts. Pending before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Compel Arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. After considering the Parties’ submissions and the relevant materials, the Court hereby GRANTS Defendants’ motion. BACKGROUND I. Factual Background Plaintiff Alla Rada (“Plaintiff”) visited the www.eonline.com (the “Website”), owned by Versant Media, LLC (“Versant”), at least once in November 2024 to browse news, entertainment articles, and related digital content, and more recently for research purposes. See ECF No. 1 ¶¶ 2, 5 (“Complaint”). Versant is a publicly traded media company headquartered in New York, New York. Compl. ¶ 16. Versant owns and operates E! Entertainment Television, LLC (“E! Entertainment”), which delivers pop culture news, celebrity updates, and award show coverage. Id. Starting on October 29, 2025, when users first access any page on the Website, they are immediately met with the cookie banner with hyperlinks to terms and privacy policies. ECF No. 17. The Cookie Banner states: This site is now part of Versant. By continuing, you agree to our Terms. You also acknowledge that our updated Privacy Policy applies, including your existing data. For info on your data rights, click “Your Privacy Choices” or see “Your Rights” in our Privacy Policy.

We and our partners also use tools on this site to provide the services, personalize your experience, and for analytics, marketing, and advertising. If you previously opted out of selling, sharing, or targeted advertising on this site, you will need to update your Privacy Choice.

On the Website, users can click either “Continue” or “Your Privacy Choices,” to modify their privacy settings. ECF No. 17. The cookie banner remains displayed unless and until the user selects one of those two options. ECF No. 17 ¶ 6. Plaintiff states she clicked “Your Privacy Choices,” toggled off the sale/sharing of personal information, and selected “Confirm My Choice” from the cookie banner and used the website Compl. ¶ 5. Upon making user choices, users are able to browse and interact with the Website. ECF No. 17 ¶ 7. Within the hyperlinked terms on the cookier banner, there are the terms of service (“TOS”) which include the arbitration provision. ECF No. 17, Ex. A at 1. The first paragraph of the TOS provide: IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AND THE TERMS OF SERVICE FOR SPECIFIC VERSANT SERVICES LINKED BELOW CAREFULLY AS THEY MAY IMPACT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS IN THE EVENT OF A DISPUTE BETWEEN US. SPECIFICALLY, PLEASE REFER TO THE SECTION TITLED “RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND VERSANT” OR, AS APPLICABLE “RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND” THE APPLICABLE VERSANT SERVICE, WHICH REQUIRES THAT CERTAIN DISPUTES BE RESOLVED THROUGH MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION AND PRECLUDE YOU FROM LEADING OR PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTION, AS WELL AS THE SECTIONS TITLED “CLASS ACTION WAIVER” AND “JURY TRIAL WAIVER” WHICH CONTAIN A CLASS ACTION WAIVER AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER FOR NON-ARBITRABLE DISPUTES.

Id. (emphasis in original)

Within the TOS, the agreement to arbitrate reads as follows: Agreement to Arbitrate. If Informal Dispute Resolution fails, then either party may initiate binding arbitration as the sole means to resolve Disputes, subject to the provisions following this header through and including the paragraph titled “Changes to this Arbitration Agreement” (collectively, the “Arbitration Agreement”).

The parties agree that this Arbitration Agreement is made pursuant to a transaction in interstate commerce and is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). The arbitration will be administered by National Arbitration and Mediation (“NAM”). If NAM is not available to arbitrate, the parties will mutually agree on an alternative arbitration provider. In accordance with the notice and opt-out provisions set forth herein, this Arbitration Agreement is intended to be interpreted broadly and it applies to all Disputes between you and Versant, including but not limited to (1) claims that arose, were asserted, or involve facts occurring before the existence of this Arbitration Agreement, or any prior agreement; and (2) claims that may arise after the termination of this Arbitration Agreement.

Except as set forth in the paragraph below titled “Exceptions to Informal Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement,” the arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to resolve all Disputes. You and Versant further agree that arbitrable Disputes include but are not limited to issues arising out of or relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, formation, or performance of this Arbitration Agreement, including, but not limited to, any claim that all or any part of these terms are void or voidable, whether a claim is subject to arbitration, and any dispute regarding the payment, non-payment, or timing of any administrative or arbitrator fees.

ECF No. 17, Ex. A at 11-12.

The TOS defines disputes broadly to apply to various claims. This Arbitration Agreement is intended to be interpreted broadly and it applies to all Disputes between you and Versant, including but not limited to (1) claims that arose, were asserted, or involve facts occurring before the existence of this Arbitration Agreement, or any prior agreement; and (2) claims that may arise after the termination of this Arbitration Agreement… [y]ou and Versant further agree that arbitrable Disputes include but are not limited to issues arising out of or relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, formation, or performance of this Arbitration Agreement, including, but not limited to, any claim that all or any part of these terms are void or voidable, whether a claim is subject to arbitration, and any dispute regarding the payment, non-payment, or timing of any administrative or arbitrator fees. Id.

Moreover, the agreement includes a class action waiver that prohibits class or collective actions. Class Action Waiver YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN YOU AND VERSANT THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION FOR ANY REASON MAY ONLY BE PURSUED BY YOU ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND YOU MAY NOT BRING A CLAIM AS A PLAINTIFF OR A CLASS MEMBER IN A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Alla Rada, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated v. Versant Media, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC, (S.D.N.Y. 2026).

Alla Rada, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated v. Versant Media, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC (Alla Rada, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated v. Versant Media, LLC and E! Entertainment Television, LLC) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Harrington v. Atlantic Sounding Co., Inc.
602 F.3d 113 (Second Circuit, 2010)
At&T Technologies, Inc. v. Communications Workers
475 U.S. 643 (Supreme Court, 1986)
First Options of Chicago, Inc. v. Kaplan
514 U.S. 938 (Supreme Court, 1995)
Howsam v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc.
537 U.S. 79 (Supreme Court, 2002)
Arrigo v. Blue Fish Commodities, Inc.
408 F. App'x 480 (Second Circuit, 2011)
Schnabel v. Trilegiant Corp. & Affinion, Inc.
697 F.3d 110 (Second Circuit, 2012)
Ryan v. Valencia Gonzales
133 S. Ct. 696 (Supreme Court, 2013)
Arrigo v. BLUE FISH COMMODITIES, INC.
704 F. Supp. 2d 299 (S.D. New York, 2010)
Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis
584 U.S. 497 (Supreme Court, 2018)
Gingras v. Think Finance, Inc.
922 F.3d 112 (Second Circuit, 2019)
Soliman v. Subway Franchisee Advert. Fund Tr., Ltd.
999 F.3d 828 (Second Circuit, 2021)
Morgan v. Sundance, Inc.
596 U.S. 411 (Supreme Court, 2022)
Berkson v. Gogo LLC
97 F. Supp. 3d 359 (E.D. New York, 2015)
Kai Peng v. Uber Technologies, Inc.
237 F. Supp. 3d 36 (E.D. New York, 2017)
Zachman v. Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
49 F.4th 95 (Second Circuit, 2022)
Katz v. Cellco Partnership
794 F.3d 341 (Second Circuit, 2015)