AUSTIN, Texas—A state court judge in Texas on Wednesday temporarily halted a lawsuit brought against Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, by far-right Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton filed a lawsuit in a local district court seeking to collect fines levied against Aylo for violating a controversial age verification measure, House Bill (HB) 1181, specifically targeting adult sites.
Bloomberg Law reports that 201st Civil District Judge Amy Clark Meachum granted a request from counsel representing Aylo to pause proceedings pending the outcome of another lawsuit currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of HB 1181. Judge Meachum's order pausing proceedings was released without any explanation.
AVN previously reported that Paxton sued Aylo in February of this year. Attorney General Paxton argues that Aylo and its affiliated properties violated HB 1181.
In a press statement released by his office at the time, Paxton said, "Texas has a right to protect its children from the detrimental effects of pornographic content. I look forward to holding any company accountable that violates our age verification laws intended to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful, obscene material on the internet."
Paxton also sued the parent companies of xHamster and Chaturbate for similar violations of HB 1181.
At the end of April 2024, Chaturbate settled the suit brought by Paxton's office. Multi Media LLC, Chaturbate's parent company, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $675,000.
Despite the legal battles at the state level, adult industry trade group the Free Speech Coalition and the parent companies of the largest adult platforms in the world, including Aylo, sued Paxton and the state of Texas to block HB 1181 on grounds it violates the First Amendment and runs up against decades of internet case law.
The Free Speech Coalition's lawsuit, initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin, has been elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court agreed to take up the Free Speech Coalition et al. v. Paxton earlier this month.
Plaintiffs alongside the Free Speech Coalition include Aylo. Other plaintiffs include Web Group Czech Republic and NKL Associates, the owners of XVideos and Xnxx, and other companies. The plaintiffs are represented by a team of attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP., Webb Daniel Friedlander, LLP., and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Paxton and his office are representing the state of Texas in his official capacity as state Attorney General.
