Google Agrees to Pay $190 Million in Legal Fees to Texas Law Firms in Landmark Privacy Settlement
The tech giant’s $1.375 billion deal with Texas marks one of the largest state-level privacy settlements, reinforcing that even Silicon Valley’s biggest players are not beyond legal accountability.
In a major legal development, Google has agreed to pay up to $190 million in legal fees to private law firms representing the state of Texas. The payment comes as part of a $1.375 billion consumer privacy settlement, closing a high-profile case that has drawn attention to Big Tech’s data practices and consumer rights.
The agreement also includes $71 million in legal fees for the Texas Attorney General’s office. Both Google and Texas’s legal teams have asked the state court in Midland to issue a final judgment approving the settlement, officially bringing the lengthy litigation to an end.
The case stems from a 2022 lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, accusing Google of violating residents’ privacy by collecting face geometry and voiceprints without consent. The complaint also alleged that Google continued tracking users’ locations even after location settings were disabled — and misled users about the privacy offered by its Incognito browsing mode.
Paxton, who has been vocal about holding tech companies accountable, emphasized that “in Texas, Big Tech is not above the law.” The state’s assertive legal action has become a model for other states seeking greater transparency and protection for their citizens’ data.
Although Google did not admit to any wrongdoing, the company said the accord resolves “a raft of old claims” and concerns about product policies that have since been changed. The settlement serves as a powerful reminder that even the world’s most powerful tech companies must answer for their data-handling practices.
Texas’s case was led by a team of powerhouse law firms, including Norton Rose Fulbright, Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam, and Cotton Bledsoe Tighe & Dawson. These firms played a key role in shaping the legal arguments that led to one of the largest consumer privacy payouts in U.S. state history.
Documents revealed that Norton Rose Fulbright’s agreement with Texas allowed it to collect up to $3,780 per hour or 27% of any recovery amount — whichever was lower. The impressive fee structure underscores the high stakes of the case and the level of expertise required to take on a global tech giant like Google.
Texas, known for its aggressive stance on corporate accountability, has consistently worked with private firms in landmark lawsuits. The state is also collaborating with Cooper & Kirk and the Buzbee Law Firm in an ongoing antitrust case against major asset managers such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street.
This latest victory follows another major settlement in 2024, where Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, agreed to pay $1.4 billion to resolve a separate privacy lawsuit brought by Texas. Law firms Keller Postman and McKool Smith were expected to receive a combined $142.6 million in legal fees from that case.
For Texas, these settlements represent more than financial wins — they symbolize a growing movement to enforce privacy rights and demand accountability from digital giants. State-level litigation is becoming an increasingly powerful tool in the fight against unchecked data collection and opaque corporate behavior.
For Google, the settlement serves as both a financial and reputational reckoning. The company’s statement highlights its efforts to move beyond older practices, suggesting a broader industry trend toward stricter privacy compliance and greater consumer transparency.
The outcome of this case could also influence how other states pursue similar actions against major tech firms. With growing public concern about data misuse, consumer tracking, and AI-driven surveillance, the balance between innovation and privacy is under closer scrutiny than ever before.
Texas’s success in this case may encourage other attorneys general across the United States to take a firmer stance against Big Tech. The collaboration between state officials and elite private law firms demonstrates how legal partnerships can hold powerful corporations to account — and deliver results that protect citizens’ digital rights.
As the digital world continues to evolve, this record-breaking settlement sends a clear message: privacy is not optional, and accountability is non-negotiable.
Google’s $190 million payment to Texas’s legal teams marks not just the close of one lawsuit, but the start of a new era of heightened vigilance over how tech companies handle personal data.
