Technology · NEWS EXPLAINER
Google Play settlement fee request rejected for now—consumer payments still have not begun
A judge declined an $85 million attorney-fee request because the records were insufficient, Reuters reports. The lawyers may try again; the court-appointed administrator says final approval is unsigned and payments have not started.
A federal judge rejected for now an $85 million fee request by consumer lawyers in the Google Play antitrust settlement, according to Reuters. Judge James Donato found the supporting billing records too thin to justify the award and allowed the lawyers another chance to make their case.
The ruling is not a consumer-payment notice. The court-appointed settlement administrator says the final approval order has not been signed and distribution has not begun. Most payments are designed to be automatic once the settlement is approved.
What the judge decided
Reuters reported that Judge Donato declined the lawyers’ fee application because their submissions did not adequately show what work was done and why. The order did not permanently bar a fee award.
The lawyers had said their teams spent nearly 100,000 hours on the litigation. The judge also questioned how much credit belonged solely to private consumer counsel when attorneys general from every state and equivalent jurisdiction participated.
What the order did not decide
The fee ruling did not start payments, set a new consumer deadline or determine each person’s amount. It also did not turn Google’s settlement into an admission; Google denies wrongdoing.
The $700 million overall settlement allocates $630 million to a consumer fund and $70 million to the states. Court-authorized fees and expenses would come out of the consumer fund before distribution.
Current consumer status
The official administrator says the April 30 approval hearing has occurred, but the final approval order has not been signed and distribution has not started. That status is more useful to consumers than assuming a fee decision triggers payment.
Eligibility generally covers qualifying Play Store or Google Play Billing purchases made from August 16, 2016 through September 30, 2023 while the account’s legal address was in a covered U.S. jurisdiction.
What eligible consumers should do
Most payments are intended to be automatic through the email address or mobile number associated with the Google Play account. A later supplemental process is planned for people who cannot use the listed payment channels, lost access to their contact details or expected a payment but did not receive one.
Use the court-appointed administrator’s site for status and contact details. Do not pay a third party to unlock a payment, and do not treat an unsolicited fee, password or account-link request as part of the settlement simply because it mentions this ruling.
