A US District Judge in San Francisco has granted $147 million in legal fees to the lawyers who secured a $425 million jury verdict against Google for illicitly collecting data from millions of users who had disabled tracking.
- Judge Seeborg grants $147 million in lawyers' fees
- Google found liable for unauthorized data collection
- Google plans to appeal the verdict
What happened
In a major data privacy lawsuit, a jury found Alphabet's Google responsible for unlawfully collecting app activity data from millions of users who had disabled tracking on their devices. The verdict awarded $425 million in damages to the plaintiff class. Following the trial, US District Judge Richard Seeborg approved a request for $147 million in legal fees for the plaintiffs’ law firms, which had dedicated over 49,670 hours to the case.
The law firms involved – Boies Schiller Flexner, Susman Godfrey, and Morgan & Morgan – faced some opposition from a minority of class members who objected to the size of the fees. Despite this, the judge emphasized the exceptional nature of the case and the firms’ performance in achieving a substantial and precedent-setting victory in the contentious area of data privacy litigation.
Why it matters
This ruling underlines the growing legal scrutiny on tech giants over data privacy, particularly unauthorized tracking practices. The case is one of the largest data privacy class actions resulting in a trial verdict in US history, reinforcing accountability for companies that violate consumer privacy preferences. The significant legal fees reflect both the complexity and magnitude of the case as well as the extensive efforts of the legal teams involved.
The award also highlights a broader tension inherent in class action lawsuits, as highlighted by the judge’s acknowledgment that even though lawyers will receive substantial fees, individual class members often recover modest amounts. This dynamic underscores the challenges in balancing fair compensation for legal representation with adequate restitution for millions of affected individuals.
What to watch next
Google has officially denied any wrongdoing and announced plans to appeal the verdict, maintaining that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that users were misled by Google’s disclosures. The appellate process could reshape data privacy litigation standards depending on the outcome and reasoning.
Meanwhile, the court has also denied Google's request for a summary ruling in their favor and dismissed the plaintiffs' motion for a new trial on part of the lawsuit. Observers and privacy advocates will be closely monitoring subsequent legal maneuvers around this landmark case, which may set significant precedents for future privacy enforcement against major technology companies.