All these class action lawsuits are essentially "lawyer enrichment schemes" note that the lawyers, for basically finding a few GMail users willing to attach their name to a suit, will get well over $2 Million for what, a month's work, if that?<p>Go research, if you want, any class action lawsuit involving automobile problems, such as the VW/Audi engine sludge issue, and see how lawyers routinely get cold hard cash up front while the people whose rights were violated or had real, actual problems with the product provided them, get coupons to the equivalent of a free Big Mac.
Hmm, looks like it was basically settled for nothing, which indicates a weak case, but one that wasn't worth it to Google to litigate. They agreed to pay $8.5m, which will be split among lawyers and a donation to some privacy nonprofits, which is not much money for Google. If you're clicking through to find out what you get as a class member, the answer is nothing, apart from some mild injunctive relief that seems to involve things Google's already changed anyway.<p>It's not even necessarily something Google would object to much, because the privacy nonprofits sometimes help them (someone like the EFF is a thorn in Google's side sometimes, but advocates issues Google supports other times).
Just thinking of all the ways to spend it! Let's see ... that's 8.5 million divided by 4 lawyers, leaves about $2 leftover for the remaining 20 million users.
When a company might suspect a class action lawsuit is coming, wouldn't the prudent thing be to have some friendly lawyers represent the Class of everyone that could ever possibly sue and settle for something a minuscule as this?<p>It seems like I've likely been included in Classes without knowing it in the past, what is the legal recourse if you decide to sue after a catch-all like this has happened and you never received the mail/email? (Like say you stopped using gmail after this?)
Should I say it's lucky not to have Class Action in the place I live so that nobody could sue anyone one my behalf without consent and can ask for 25% of the settlement for a settlement that doesn't benefit myself? IS this democracy or what?