(La Porte County) - La Porte County Commissioners are weighing whether to join a class action lawsuit against streaming services like NetFlix and Hulu.  County attorney, Shaw Friedman, brought the idea before the commissioners this week.  Cities around the state, including Valparaiso, have filed suit against streaming services for not paying local franchise fees for video broadcasts.

 

Friedman says the payout from such a lawsuit could be substantial. "These are not small amounts we're talking about that would be owed to taxpayers from these lucrative streaming services," he told the commissioners. "This is one of those revenue sources some of the cities and counties throughout the state are looking at."

 

Friedman says any attorney fees from an outside firm would be contingent on a legal victory, although he admits the chance of winning may only be 50/50.

 

Commissioners voiced concern about joining a lawsuit that may just result in streaming services raising their prices for customers.

 

They decided to study the matter further before proceeding.