YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to
President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit over his suspension from the service following the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington, D.C., according to court papers filed Monday.
The settlement agreement, which was filed with U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, specifies that the money be directed to the Trust for the National Mall,
which will use the funds "to support the construction" of a new White House ballroom.
The deal also calls for YouTube to pay an additional $2.5 million to other plaintiffs in the
case -- including the American Conservative Union and several individuals.
The court papers provide that the settlement "shall not constitute an admission of liability or
fault," and was entered into by all parties "for the sole purpose of compromising disputed claims and avoiding the expenses and risks of further litigation."
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The deal resolves
a legal battle dating to July 2021, when Trump claimed in a lawsuit that YouTube violated the First Amendment by banning him.
YouTube -- as well as Meta and X -- took down Trump's accounts
after insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in an effort to prevent the Senate from certifying former President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. The tech companies later allowed Trump back on
their platforms.
Several months after his suspension, Trump sued all three social media platforms.
Meta previously settled with Trump for $25 million, and X
(formerly Twitter) agreed to a $10 million settlement.