Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has won a $1.375 billion settlement from Google as a result of the state suing the tech company for continued privacy violations. [Press Release Here]
TEXAS – […] In 2022, Attorney General Paxton sued Google for unlawfully tracking and collecting users’ private data regarding geolocation, incognito searches, and biometric data. After years of aggressive litigation, Attorney General Paxton agreed to settle Texas’s data-privacy claims against Google for an amount that far surpasses any other state’s claims for similar violations.
To date, no state has attained a settlement against Google for similar data-privacy violations greater than $93 million. Even a multistate coalition that included forty states secured just $391 million—almost a billion dollars less than Texas’s recovery.
“In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law. For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won,” said Attorney General Paxton. “This $1.375 billion settlement is a major win for Texans’ privacy and tells companies that they will pay for abusing our trust. I will always protect Texans by stopping Big Tech’s attempts to make a profit by selling away our rights and freedoms.” (more)
I always wonder with these settlements: Who gets the money?
yep me too.
they spy on Texas citizens and the Texas Law Office gets paid a billion
Depending on what kind of case is filed under; after winning a lawsuit, the distribution of the money typically involves several parties, with the percentages varying based on the complexity and type of the case. Lawyers get a huge chunk after the main plaintiff. If Paxton were to invite the public who have suffered the same violations, in Texas (in this case). Public individuals do not pay anything but can opt to join on an announcement of the case by the main plaintiff. It is exceedingly rare that the public individuals who sign on get any money- after all due compensations are paid to filing plaintiff and lawyers first for all their services.
It is a good start and an encouraging example since America has not seen any cases against Google for privacy violations such as seen in Europe over the years (and they won). It’s a long way overdue. Sick and tired of their propaganda. Lately utube videos do not play depending on the content and which websites direct the link to videos.
In short, a significant portion of the settlement goes to the plaintiff, but a percentage is also taken by the lawyers as fees, especially in contingency fee arrangements where the lawyer’s payment is contingent on winning the case.
In personal injury cases, lawyers often take a percentage ranging from 25% to 40% of the settlement, depending on the state and the specifics of the case.
The exact percentage can increase if the lawyer needs to adjust the settlement or if additional costs arise. The remaining amount goes to the plaintiff, who may also have to cover any expenses incurred during the lawsuit, such as court fees and expert witness fees.
In class action lawsuits, the lead plaintiff typically receives a larger percentage of the settlement due to their more significant involvement and the severity of their damages.
The lawyers also receive a percentage for their legal fees and related costs, which are usually restricted to a reasonable amount by the court to ensure fairness. The rest of the settlement is then divided among the class members, with the distribution not being equal and often based on the extent of their participation and damages.
The percentage taken by lawyers can vary widely depending on the case’s specifics and the agreement between the lawyer and plaintiff.
I didn’t see your post. I just said the same thing.
IMESHO, this nation could use Ken Paxton as our AG! Most likely $1.4 Billion for googly is pocket change, but it is a start. The clowns at Big Tech are out of the clown car and causing too many distractions.
what changed
Paxton would have been a far superior AG for Trump. Was he even considered?
Agree,….he would,…. but would he be confirmed by the Senate Rinos???
Probably.
But no way Paxton gets Senate confirmation.
AG, Paxton: And what did Ghoul-gle do with all that illegal private data they collected? Why they dutifully gave it to their financial donor client – “Big Brother!”
How bout a new Class Action suit against Ghoulgle for reparations and damages paid to all the private individual citizens they monitored and stole their private data from,… in violation of the Bill Of Rights???
As the Marxist Dime scream,… “No One Is Above The Law!”
so who exactly gets that money?
Will we Texans get a cut of the proceeds?
I have always wondered why Trump didn’t grab him for AG. He has argued and won before SCOTUS so many times. A seasoned warrior. Perhaps he is the only one that could rally support to go after Cornyn. But nevertheless, he would have made a great AG.
Okay, can people please start saying “search for it” or “search it” instead of “google it” (oooh, makes me cringe just to type that.) So tired of so many just lazily saying the latter without thinking and giving that corrupt entity free advertising. Even heard one person who kept saying “do a google search,” and I’m thinkin’ “You can’t just say ‘do a search'”?? Pass it on!