HIGH COURT PROCEEDINGS involving video companies behind Pornhub have been adjourned until March while a proposed $120 million (€105.5 million) settlement of US litigation awaits court approval.

The matter briefly came before Mr Justice Brian Cregan today, when counsel for the woman, identified as Jane Doe to protect her identity, requested an adjournment pending developments in the related US proceedings.

The woman, who lives in the United States, claims that she was drugged and raped by a man in the state of Alabama when she was sixteen years old.

She claims that her abuser recorded what happened and posted the images online.

It is alleged that videos of her abuse were published and distributed on various adult video sharing websites owned by the international group of companies that own, control and manage internet pornography websites including Pornhub.

The woman initially brought US proceedings against companies within the MindGeek group, the business behind Pornhub, which rebranded as Aylo in August 2023.

Those companies are MG Freesites Ltd, MG Freesites II Ltd, MindGeek SARL, Aylo Premium Ltd, MG Social Ltd, Mindgeek USA Incorporated, MG CY Holdings Ltd, Aylo Billing Ltd, Mirmay Ltd, Nutaku Publishing Ltd, Appatomic Ltd and Liquidim Ltd.

Five of those companies – Aylo Billing Ltd, Mirmay Ltd, Nutaku Publishing Ltd, Appatomic Ltd and Liquidum Ltd – are registered in Dublin.

She launched additional proceedings against those companies in Ireland’s High Court last year.

A US judge described the companies as a network that “own or operate several of the most-visited pornographic websites in the world”, including Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Tube8 and WTube.

The settlement proposed in the US case would resolve class actions brought in the states of Alabama and California against the companies involved.

Pollock Cohen, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs, confirmed in August that the “historic” agreement would cover both cases and includes payments and changes to the websites’ practices. It remains subject to court approval.

The Irish proceedings, initiated due to the international structure of the defendant group, sought to preserve assets in Ireland while the US litigation progresses.

Aylo has said that the settlement involves no admission of wrongdoing.

In a statement reported by the adult industry publication XBIZ, the company said that only verified creators can publish on its platform and that content uploaded to its websites undergoes technological checks and is reviewed by trained moderators before publication.

The Irish case reflects the international structure of the business and the woman’s efforts to pursue companies and assets across different jurisdictions.

The matter briefly came before the High Court today, when Judge Cregan adjourned the case until March at the request of the woman’s barrister Robert O’Reilly.