Published
April 9, 2026
California Android users are covered by a $350 million settlement after a Santa Clara jury found Google used their cellular data without permission — and no claim form is required to get paid.
The Trial Behind the Google Class Action Settlement
Trial began in June 2025 in Department 7 of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, before Judge Charles F. Adams. Three California Android users -- Attila Csupo, Andrew Burke, and Kerry Hecht -- accused Google of using their paid cellular data for Google's own purposes without permission. The legal theory was conversion: the same tort that applies when someone takes your property without asking.After roughly a month of testimony, the jury reached its verdict on July 1, 2025. By a 9-3 vote, the jurors sided with the class and awarded $314,626,932 in damages. California civil cases require only a three-fourths majority, so the 9-3 split was legally sufficient to deliver one of the largest Google jury verdicts in a class action privacy case.
Rather than appeal, Google negotiated a $350 million class action settlement. The deal closes the Csupo v. Google litigation entirely and will be presented for final approval on February 24, 2026.
Status
Settlement Reached · Auto Payment
Csupo v. Google LLC (19-CV-352557) · final approval hearing February 24, 2026
Settlement Fund
$350,000,000
follows a $314,626,932 jury verdict (9-3, July 1, 2025)
Claim Form
Not Required
Class members do not need to take action to receive payment
Who Qualifies
California Android users
used a Google-licensed Android phone with cellular data (Aug 9, 2016 onward)
Why Google Paid More Than the Jury Verdict
Settling a class action for more than the jury awarded is counterintuitive, but the math explains it. The Csupo court notice states that the $350 million settlement "avoids the appeal that Google would otherwise have pursued" along with pending motions for pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest, costs, and injunctive relief.Each item added exposure. Pre-judgment interest under California law accrues from the August 9, 2019 filing date at 7 percent. On a $314.6 million base, that is roughly $22 million per year -- more than $130 million across six years of litigation if the court had awarded the full amount. Post-judgment interest would continue accruing until payment. Plaintiffs' recoverable costs from a six-year trial could easily reach seven figures. And injunctive relief could have forced Google to redesign Android cellular data behavior under court supervision indefinitely.
When those items are added together, $350 million looks less like a premium over the verdict and more like a bulk discount for closing the Google class action entirely.
Who Represented the Csupo v. Google Class
The class was represented by Marc A. Wallenstein of Korein Tillery LLC (Chicago) and Glen E. Summers of Bartlit Beck LLP (Denver) -- two firms nationally recognized for complex commercial trial work. Class counsel has requested attorney fees of 33 percent of the settlement fund ($115.5 million) plus approximately $7 million in costs advanced during six years of litigation, subject to court approval.The Csupo v. Google settlement was negotiated with the assistance of mediators Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros -- the same pair who designed and administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Their involvement signals how carefully both sides approached the resolution, particularly because the Google class action settlement in California is cross-contingent with a parallel federal settlement.
The $485 Million Combined Google Android Settlement Picture
The Csupo v. Google California settlement is only half the story. A parallel federal case -- Taylor v. Google LLC -- covers Android users in the 49 states outside California and resulted in a separate $135 million settlement. Combined, the two Google class action settlements total $485 million.The two Google Android settlements are cross-contingent. If either fails to receive court approval, the other can be terminated. That structure gave Google certainty that paying one settlement would not leave it exposed to continued litigation elsewhere. Across both cases, the $485 million total places the Android cellular data litigation among the largest consumer privacy class action settlements in tech industry history.
What Google Has to Change About Android
Beyond the $350 million cash payment, the Csupo v. Google class action settlement requires Google to change how Android communicates with users. Google will update the Google Play Terms of Service and Help Center to describe the cellular data transfer behavior at issue in the lawsuit. Android device setup screens will be updated to disclose the practice and ask for user consent specifically, rather than burying the disclosure in lengthy terms users scroll past. Google will also disable a related Android setting tied to the practice.These changes will apply to all Android devices, not just those used by California residents -- meaning the California Google class action settlement effectively forces a product change that ripples out to every Android user worldwide.
What Happens at the February 24, 2026 Final Approval Hearing
The final approval hearing for the Csupo v. Google class action settlement is scheduled for February 24, 2026 at 1:30 PM PST before Judge Charles F. Adams. At the hearing, the court will decide whether the $350 million settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate under California class action law, and will rule on class counsel's attorney fee request. The objection deadline passed on February 10, 2026.Because the Google class action settlement requires Google not to pursue an appeal, and because Google has its own records identifying California Android users, payments are expected to be distributed without requiring class members to file claim forms. After final approval, a second notice will be sent explaining the payment distribution method.
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Sources
• Official Court Notice of Settlement and Approval Hearing, Csupo et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 19-CV-352557 (Santa Clara County Superior Court)• Official Settlement Website -- CellularDataClassAction.com
About This Article
This article is based on the court-authorized Notice of Settlement and Approval Hearing filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court and is provided for informational purposes. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not a law firm or the settlement administrator.
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