Judge Approves $68M Google Assistant Privacy Settlement, Trims Lawyer's $3,000/Hour Rate
U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in San Jose approved the $68 million settlement of the Google Assistant privacy case on October 13, 2026. The suit, In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation (No. 5:19-cv-04286-BLF), alleges that Google Assistant recorded and shared conversations after accidental activations, and that the data was used for targeted advertising. Google denied wrongdoing and settled to avoid the cost and risk of litigation. The class covers people who used the products between May 2016 and March 2026. Freeman also approved about $22.67 million in attorneys' fees, one-third of the fund, and about $1.02 million in expenses. She called the proposed $3,000 hourly rate for David Scott of Scott+Scott "patently unreasonable," cut it to $1,600 for the fee calculation, and still approved the one-third fee as reasonable against market rates. She praised counsel's work and said they achieved an "excellent" settlement.