PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A lawsuit filed six years ago by the Rhode Island pension fund could soon yield a settlement payment from Google for the state, but so far nobody is saying how much.
Back in 2018, then-Treasurer Seth Magaziner announced that the pension fund would be the lead plaintiff in a class-action suit against Google parent company Alphabet over a major data breach involving its ill-fated Google+ social-media platform.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Google has agreed to pay $350 million in order to settle the suit. A judge in California still needs to sign off before the agreement is finalized.
A spokesperson for Magaziner’s successor, General Treasurer James Diossa, confirmed the proposed settlement but declined to comment further. She also said it was “too early” to know how much of the $350 million might be awarded to Rhode Island.
It wouldn’t be the first time Rhode Island taxpayers have gotten a major legal payout from Google. In 2012, state and municipal law-enforcement agencies shared $230 million from a $500 million settlement over ads for prescription drugs on its search engine.