Judge Awards $147 Million in Legal Fees Against Google

US District Judge Richard Seeborg awarded nearly $147 million in legal fees to plaintiffs' lawyers after a jury ordered Google to pay $425 million for secretly collecting app activity data. The jury found that Google tracked millions of users who had specifically disabled tracking features. The fee award is split among the law firms Boies Schiller Flexner, Susman Godfrey, and Morgan & Morgan, who documented over 49,670 hours of work on the case.

Judge Seeborg acknowledged that the fee is extraordinary and results in each of the 98 million class members receiving less than $5. He stated that this outcome is a consequence of using class action devices to remedy widespread torts. In related rulings, the judge denied Google's request for a summary ruling in its favor and rejected a plaintiffs' request for a new trial on a portion of the lawsuit.

Google has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the plaintiffs failed to prove users were misled. The company has announced its intention to appeal the verdict.