Devin Stone (Legal Eagle)
Appearances
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
It could take years. We expect that Honey PayPal will fight this with everything that they have. And class action in general can take many years to take it to a verdict. And we expect that this is going to be a knock-down, drag-out fight.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
Yeah, well, for one thing, I think it's the right thing to do. But number two, as we've discussed, there is an enormous amount of money at issue here. And it's money that I think should go back to the creators. And these are often middle-class people who are providing value to their audiences effectively for free.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
You can watch YouTube or scroll through Instagram or TikTok and you don't have to pay anything. And these creators rely on the income that they're generated. And what's really interesting is that affiliate links in particular tend to be used by a lot of the smaller creators who haven't yet been able to create a brand deal or a sponsorship. And as a result,
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
The kind of revenue that is being, we think, siphoned away is exactly the kind of stuff that would help more creators do more art. And we're talking hundreds of thousands of creators who might have been affected here.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
Got my sleeves rolled up. I've got my tie loosened. We're going at it.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
I am a real lawyer. I don't just play one on TV. I'm actually barred in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. So my bar dues are quite heavy every year.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
Probably my favorite video that I've ever done was explaining how accurate the movie My Cousin Vinny is. Did you say youths? Yeah, two youths. What is a youth? Oh, excuse me, Your Honor. Two youths. The movie My Cousin Vinny is actually a darling among lawyers because it is so accurate.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
It's not only accurate, but it also shows a lot of the best practices that trial lawyers, you know, spend their whole careers trying to learn.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
I basically jumped out of my seat that, in retrospect, what Megalag accused Honey of doing seems so simple but also so brazen that I was shocked that any company would actually engage in the kind of actions that they were accused of.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
What we think Honey is doing is interjecting itself and replacing or stealing affiliate commissions from creators that sent traffic to an online store. So all of those benefits that would have gone to the original referral source therefore go to Honey, Honey PayPal instead. We think it is violative of several different laws.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
One is a cause of action called intentional interference with contractual relations. So there's a contract between these brands and the creator or the influencer, and Honey is interfering with that contract. And we also think that it is violative of a lot of consumer and industry protection laws.
The Journal.
Why Influencers Say Honey Is Stealing Their Money
And basically, we allege they're taking money that would have gone to the people who are actually responsible for sending traffic and sending customers and creating value. And instead, they are they're taking advantage of that instead.