Supreme Court Orders New Look at Privacy Suit Settled by Google
- Court says it’s not clear consumers had ‘standing’ to sue
- Justices don’t rule on questions about $8.5 million settlement
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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The U.S. Supreme Court told a lower court to take another look at an $8.5 million Google settlement, raising questions about whether the consumers pressing the privacy suit had the legal right to seek damages.
The 8-1 ruling Wednesday didn’t resolve the issue the court took up the case to address -- the permissibility of class-action settlements that don’t provide any compensation to people affected by a defendant’s conduct. The case involves the Alphabet Inc. unit’s settlement of claims that it improperly disclosed users’ internet search terms to the owners of outside websites.