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This settlement is closed!
Please see what other class action settlements you might qualify to claim cash from in our Open Settlements directory!
Google has agreed to pay $11 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it improperly withheld unpaid amounts in publishers’ AdSense accounts after Google terminated their accounts for an alleged breach of contract.
If you were an AdSense publisher between May 20, 2010 and May 7, 2018, and Google disabled your AdSense account and withheld the unpaid amounts in your account, you may be entitled to benefits from the Google class action settlement.
Plaintiffs Free Range Content Inc., a California corporation, filed the AdSense class action lawsuit in 2014, claiming Google wrongfully denied payments to thousands of website operators who use AdSense to post ads on their websites.
Free Range Content claims Google shut down its AdSense accounts shortly before their payment was due. The AdSense class action lawsuit included claims of breach of contract, bad faith, unjust enrichment and unjust compensation.
In February 2015, Google successfully moved to have the AdSense class action lawsuit dismissed by a California federal judge. The judge allowed Free Range Content to file an amended AdSense class action lawsuit with additional facts showing how Google’s allegedly wrongful conduct was not simply a result of the company exercising its right to terminate accounts and withhold payment.
Google denies all wrongdoing but agreed to settle the AdSense class action lawsuit to avoid the burden and expense of ongoing litigation. Under the terms of the proposed AdSense class action settlement, Google will pay $11 million to AdSense account holders who lost at least $10 for accounts that were closed by Google since May 2010.
Class Members who would like to opt out of or object to the Google AdSense settlement must do so no later than Sept. 4, 2018.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members of the Google AdSense settlement include: “All persons or entities Google’s records indicate are located within the United States, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the United States Minor Outlying Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Canada, whose AdSense account Google disabled or terminated on any date between May 20, 2010 and May 7, 2018, and whose last AdSense unpaid amounts Google withheld in their entirety, and permanently, on any date between May 20, 2010 and May 7, 2018 in connection with such disablement or termination, where the sum withheld totals $10 or more.”
Potential Award
Varies. The payment each claimant will receive depends on several factors including the unpaid amount for their terminated AdSense account and the total number of approved claims.
Proof of Purchase
Class Members who wish to submit a claim online must provide their Class Member Number and Control Number that was sent to them. If you don’t have this information, you may contact the Settlement Administrator or print a paper Claim Form. The paper Claim Form asks Class Members to provide the email address associated with their AdSense account.
Claim Form
NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.
Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Claim Form Deadline
9/4/2018
Case Name
Free Range Content Inc. v. Google LLC, Case No. 5:14-cv-02329-BLF, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division
Final Hearing
2/07/2019 UPDATED
UPDATE: The Google AdSense Class Action Settlement was granted final approval on March 21, 2019.Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.
UPDATE 2: On May 24, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving payments from the Google AdSense Class Action Settlement worth as much as $373.00! Congratulations to everyone who filed a valid claim and got PAID!
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Free Range Content v. Google
c/o GCG
P.O. Box 10537
Dublin, OH 43017-4537
Phone: 1-888-684-5073
Fax: 1-888-425-6983
info@AdSensePublisherSettlement.com
Class Counsel
Steve W. Berman
Robert F. Lopez
HAGENS BERMAN SOBOL SHAPIRO LLP
Defense Counsel
Jeffrey M. Gutkin
Michael Rhodes
COOLEY LLP
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65 thoughts onGoogle AdSense Class Action Settlement
For anybody who was required to submit the 1099 info, did you get the 1099 from them yet? Please comment if it was reported on “Box 3 Other Income” or “Box 7 non-employee compensation”
I got a deposit in my checking account yesterday from this settlement. OMG what a rip off. There is no way I got 30% of what they owed me. What a rip off.
Am i part o f this class action? I should be & yet I have heard anything, yet