Eligible Americans have a limited time to claim payments from a substantial $100 million settlement involving Google. The tech company reached this agreement to resolve allegations that it overcharged advertisers and failed to provide promised discounts. To receive compensation, affected individuals simply need to fill out an online form.
The lawsuit contended that Google charged advertisers for clicks that did not occur within the targeted geographic areas for their ads. This practice allegedly violated Google’s own guidelines and resulted in inflated costs for advertisers. The settlement is available to individuals and entities in the United States who used Google’s AdWords program and paid for clicks from January 1, 2004, to December 13, 2012.
Settlement Classes and Claims Process
The settlement has been divided into two distinct classes: the Location Targeting Class and the Search Bundled Clicks Class. The Location Targeting Class includes advertisers who utilized Google’s AdWords program between January 1, 2004, and March 22, 2011. This group is believed to have been charged for clicks from outside their specified ad area during that timeframe.
The Search Bundled Clicks Class consists of advertisers who ran ads between June 1, 2009, and December 13, 2012. These advertisers may have paid excessive rates for clicks on their ads that appeared in Google search results and on other affiliated websites without a separate pricing structure for those additional placements.
While Google did not admit any wrongdoing, the company agreed to this settlement to resolve the allegations. Under the terms, class members are eligible to receive cash payments based on the amount they paid for clicks on ads that did not receive actual user interactions in the specified areas. Payments will vary among class members, reflecting the individual amounts spent.
Individuals interested in opting out of the settlement have until July 20, 2025 to do so, while the deadline to submit valid claims is also July 20, 2025. Claimants will need their Google AdWords Customer ID as proof of purchase to complete their claims.
Related Settlements and Consumer Rights
This settlement comes at a time when eligible Americans are also facing deadlines to claim up to $2,500 from a separate $3.5 million data breach settlement involving Neiman Marcus. The retailer agreed to this amount following a class action lawsuit that alleged it failed to adequately secure customer information during a breach in May 2024. Affected consumers reported incidents of identity theft and fraud.
Additionally, consumers can receive compensation from a $4.5 million settlement concerning Criterion Collection, a film distribution company, which allegedly violated privacy laws. Class members in this case do not need to provide proof of purchase but must submit a claim form before August 19, 2025.
As deadlines approach for these various settlements, affected individuals are encouraged to act promptly to secure their rightful claims.
