Attorneys who secured a $425 million jury verdict against Alphabet’s Google in a landmark data privacy case are now seeking $147 million in legal fees, according to a filing in federal court in San Francisco. The request, reported by Reuters, represents roughly one-third of the total judgment and highlights some of the highest hourly billing rates in the U.S. legal industry.
The legal teams from Boies Schiller Flexner, Susman Godfrey, and Morgan & Morgan argued that awarding the full fee would encourage attorneys to take complex cases through trial rather than settling prematurely. They noted that early settlements can sometimes limit compensation for class members, whereas full trials may yield more substantial outcomes. The firms collectively reported nearly 50,000 hours dedicated to the litigation, underscoring the scale and intensity of the case.
The lawsuit centers on allegations that Google collected app activity data from millions of users even after they had disabled a tracking feature. In September, a jury found the company liable, delivering a verdict that has since grown to more than $440 million with interest. Plaintiffs had originally sought damages in the billions, making the final judgment one of the most significant in a data privacy class action.
In their court filing, the attorneys described the verdict as “historic,” stating it is likely the largest data privacy class action ever brought to trial and concluded in federal court. They have asked U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg to approve the fee request, which includes not only compensation for hours worked but also a multiplier reflecting the risks and complexity involved in the case.
Google has denied any wrongdoing and confirmed plans to appeal the verdict. The company has not publicly commented on the fee request, and lead attorneys for the plaintiffs have also declined to provide additional statements.
As part of the filing, the legal teams disclosed their standard billing rates, which alone would total more than $56 million based on hours worked. Lead trial attorney David Boies reported billing at $2,730 per hour and contributing over 1,400 hours to the case. Other attorneys involved command similarly high rates, including $4,000 per hour for William Carmody of Susman Godfrey and $2,500 per hour for Shawn Rabin. The head of Morgan & Morgan’s class action practice, John Yanchunis, charges $2,400 per hour.
The plaintiffs’ legal team emphasized that the substantial financial and legal risks undertaken in pursuing the case justify the enhanced compensation request. They argued that the outcome not only delivers accountability in a high-stakes privacy dispute but also sets a precedent for future litigation involving large technology companies.
The case continues to draw attention across the legal and technology sectors, particularly as data privacy concerns intensify and regulators increase scrutiny of how companies collect and use consumer information. The court’s decision on the fee request is expected to further shape discussions around legal incentives and the economics of complex class action litigation.
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