$146M Attorney Fee Request Halted in Google Privacy Class Action
A California federal judge has yet to rule on a motion requesting over $146 million in attorney fees from a $425 million Google privacy class action. The case, which resulted in Google being ordered to pay $425 million in compensatory damages last September, involves nearly 100 million class members.
The motion was requested by plaintiffs' counsel David Boies of Boies Schiller and Flexner, who argued that the high fee request is 'an understandable, reasonable request that recognizes the very good work done by the plaintiff side.' However, some 300 objections arose from class members regarding the high fee request.
Boies emphasized that the purpose of a class action is to hold defendants accountable, and that it provides monetary compensation to class members who could not afford to litigate individually. He noted that 'what a class action does is it holds the defendant accountable,' rather than providing individual compensation.