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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!
UPDATE:
- TCA viewers reported this settlement paying out up to $2.15 as of Aug. 6, 2021.
- Congratulations to everyone who filed a claim and got paid!
A $7.5 million Google class action settlement resolves allegations that the now defunct Google+ social networking platform exposed users’ private profile data to third-parties.
If you had a Google Plus account between Jan. 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019 and had your personal information exposed due to “software bugs” announced on Oct. 8, 2018 and Dec. 10, 2018, you could get up to $12 from this class action settlement.
The Google Plus account class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 after plaintiffs Matt Matic and Zak Harris claimed that their user names, email addresses, interests, relationships, photos and hometowns were exposed in a massive data breach that benefited third-party app developers.
“Although Defendants have reported that only up to 500,000 users were affected, the reality is that this number is what was determined only for the two week period prior to the discovery of the security vulnerability in March 2018. Thus, given that the data leak occurred for nearly 3 years, the number of compromised users is expected to be much higher,” the Google Plus account class action lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs alleged that Google made a “calculated business decision” when they discovered the data leak and chose to hide this information from its Google Plus accountholders and the general public.
Under the terms of the Google Plus account class action settlement, Class Members who file a valid claim form are expected to receive a pro rata share of the settlement fund up to $12.
In addition, the settlement provides $200,000 in attorneys’ fees and $1,500 for each of the Class Representatives.
The settlement did not request any business practice changes because Google decided to shutdown the social media networking platform on April 2, 2019.
According to court documents, Google has denied all the allegations and not only “attacked injuries resulting from its alleged tortious behavior, but also argued the invasion of privacy could not proceed due to lack of intent, no reasonable expectation of privacy, and no breach of social norms.”
However, the Court preliminarily approved the Google Plus account class action settlement on June 10, 2020 after finding it to be “fair, reasonable and adequate, entered into in good faith, free of collusion, and within the range of possible judicial approval.”
Class Members have until Oct. 8, 2020 to either file a claim, opt out of the settlement or object to it.
The final hearing will take place on Nov. 19, 2020.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members include all U.S. residents who had a Google+ account between Jan. 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019 and had their “non-public Profile Information exposed as a result of the software bugs Google announced on October 8, 2018 and December 10, 2018.”
Potential Award
Up to $12.
According to the Google+ class action settlement, Class Members who file a valid claim form will receive a pro rata share of the fund starting with up to a $5 payment. However, if settlement funds remain after the initial $5 payout, an additional distribution of up to $12 (total) will be paid.
* The settlement also allows for a reduced payout of lower than $5 if the number of claimants exceed what is available in the settlement fund.
Proof of Purchase
Claimants must provide the email address associated with their Google+ 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
10/8/2020
Case Name
In re: Google Plus Profile Litigation, Case No. 5:18-cv-06164, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Final Hearing
1/07/2021 UPDATED
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Google Plus Data Litigation
1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210
Philadelphia, PA, 19103
1-833-509-1101
info@GooglePlusDataLitigation.com
Class Counsel
John A. Yanchunis
Ryan J. McGee
MORGAN & MORGAN COMPLEX LITIGATION GROUP
Clayeo C. Arnold
Joshua H. Watson
CLAYEO C. ARNOLD PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION
Franklin D. Azar
Margeaux R. Azar
FRANKLIN D. AZAR & ASSOCIATES PC
Defense Counsel
Maura Lea Rees
WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI PC
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
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101 thoughts onGoogle Plus Class Action Settlement
add me i n
Add me please.
add the state of Virginia too
I had a google plus account
Wow. Google sold my information to other people and made a bundle. Now the big and expensive law firm of MORGAN & MORGAN has represented the members of the class. And what spectacular settlement did the fancy law firm of Morgan & Morgan get us? The gigantic sum of $12 each.
My privacy is worth much more than $12. My time and aggravation answering all those telephone calls of people pretending to be from Google is worth far more than $12. Google has enough money to pay each of us what our privacy, time and aggravation is worth.
And to get this settlement, we have to give up more private information. Our Paypal or BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER. And we are to believe the numbers of those accounts will not be passed along. More likely, we will find them for sale on the Dark Web. And, of course, this means that anybody with common sense won’t put in a claim because they would not trust Google to respect their privacy. “Once burned, twice shy.” A great strategy to keep the number of claims down.
This settlement was made by Google to get rid of a pesky law suit and to keep most of the money it got selling out my privacy. Who wins big? Google. They get away with a mint and bar any future lawsuits.
The settlement was made my Morgan & Morgan to get a large legal fee for representing a large class with no voice in the outcome.. Who wins big? Morgan & Morgan.
Shame on Google. Shame on Morgan & Morgan. Shame on any court who would force this ridiculous settlement down our throat.
I got the same email , why they want PayPal account, or bank account? Why they can just mail checks?
there has to be a way we can fight this I still have all the proof on my phone and my information has been up there since 2010 I’ve had this google account. why we can’t pay for our own class action lawsuit in the state of ny.
Here they get caught with data breach but in order to claim compensation they want either your Paypal account info (which I don’t have because Paypal has been hacked) or access to your bank account?!?! I definitely had a Google+ account, but this is just dirty business so they can find more ways to invade people’s privacy!
This article misrepresents the facts as they relate to attorney compensation. The following is copied and pasted directly from the email sent to Settle Class Members:
“Class Counsel plans to ask the Court to award attorneys’ fees from the Settlement Fund not to exceed $1,875,000 which is 25% of the Settlement Fund, and reimbursement of costs and expenses in the approximate amount of $200,000.”
So the attorneys are making bank but those impacted by the breach make UP TO $12.00?!?!
Could Morgan & Morgan and Google been “colluding” to protect Google from a more bona fide and serious lawsuit by bringing this class action to bar most legal claims against Google.
SO LETS SUE MORGAN ASS A MAD BLACK WOMEN FROM BROOKYN NY
Opt out of the class action if you can. Write the judge and object to the settlement.
To object, fill out the form at https://googleplusdatalitigation.com/submit-objection.php.
To opt out the the case, fill out the form at https://googleplusdatalitigation.com/exclusion-request.php.
You have to pick one. You can’t do both.
Is this a spam? I got the email too. Any thoughts?
Opt out of the class action if you can. Write the judge and object to the settlement.
They either want your PayPal information or your bank Info – I’m not sharing either of those… for $12? Not worth my time.
Hello, Lmao right
People who have been using Google werent even given an option to use Google plus. That right was taken say from its users and your saying that our privacy is worth $12. Seriously? All out information has been leaked mans that is what we receive. Complete bullshit. Why can’t we sue ourselves? You want us to opt in to never sue them again. No we are worth more than that.