A landmark class action trial has begun in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where plaintiffs allege that Google unlawfully collected billions of dollars’ worth of data from millions of American cellphone users who had opted out of tracking.
The case, Rodriguez et al. v. Google LLC et al. (No. 3:20-cv-04688), centers on claims that Google violated consumer privacy by saving and exploiting information from third-party apps without user consent.
Leading the plaintiffs, attorney David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP told jurors that Google’s conduct impacted approximately 98 million device users between July 2016 and September 2024. According to Boies, users were assured that their app data would not be collected, yet Google proceeded to capture highly personal behavioral information — including purchases, searches, travel history, relationship status, and even health conditions.
Boies emphasized the scale of the alleged misconduct, citing Google’s own description of data as the “gold of the 21st century.” He argued that the evidence will show the company profited by billions of dollars from misappropriated user information. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages, disgorgement of profits, punitive damages, and additional relief.
Based on plaintiffs’ calculations, damages could exceed $29 billion, reflecting the value of user data across nearly a decade.
Google, represented by Benedict Hur of Cooley LLP, countered that the data in question was nonpersonal, aggregated, and not linked to individual identities. The company maintains that app developers agreed to disclose analytics data collection and that no data breach or misuse by third parties occurred.
The trial follows Judge Richard Seeborg’s January decision rejecting Google’s bid for summary judgment, paving the way for a jury to decide whether Google’s practices violated California privacy laws, including the state constitution and common law protections.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs include teams from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Susman Godfrey LLP, and Morgan & Morgan PA. Google’s defense is led by Cooley LLP.
The outcome of this high-stakes trial could reshape the standards of digital privacy and data collection in the United States.
