Public-interest firm calls $5.5 million settlement with Google over privacy settings ‘unacceptable’

Legal NewLine reports on CEI’s Center for Class Action Fairness’s objection to an unfair Google class action settlement. 

A public-interest law firm that represents class members against unfair class action procedures and settlements has filed an objection to a $5.5 million settlement with Google Inc. over allegations that the search engine giant circumvented web browser privacy settings.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Class Action Fairness filed its objection in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware late last month.

The center argues in its filing that class members “will see not one penny.”

“This settlement exemplifies the problem of class action attorneys behaving as if they have no clients other than the general public,” CEI Attorney Adam Schulman said in a statement. “It is unacceptable to propose a settlement that waives class members’ rights yet provides them absolutely nothing in return.”

Plaintiffs in the class action sued Google for alleged federal privacy violations over the company’s circumvention of Apple’s Safari browser users’ privacy settings — in particular, that Google circumvented the web browser’s default privacy settings without consumers’ knowledge and consent to allow advertisers to set third-party cookies on their browsers.

According to the center’s filing, class counsel negotiated a settlement that provided zero dollars to class members and $5.5 million to be divided between class counsel and third-party charities.

Read the full article at Legal NewsLine.