Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement in Free Range Content, Inc. v. Google LLC

SEATTLE, May 9, 2018 -- The following statement is being issued by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP on behalf of Free Range Content, Inc. v. Google LLC.

If Google disabled or terminated your AdSense account between May 20, 2010 and May 7, 2018 and permanently withheld the unpaid amounts in your AdSense account, you may be entitled to money.

An $11,000,000 settlement has been preliminarily approved in the case Free Range Content, Inc. v. Google LLC, 5:14-cv-02329-BLF. Your rights may be affected and you may be entitled to a portion of this settlement if you are a Settlement Class Member.

Who Is Included in the Settlement? You may be a Settlement Class Member if Google’s records indicate you were subject to the AdSense terms for the United States, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Canada, and 1) Google disabled or terminated your AdSense account between May 20, 2010, and May 7, 2018, 2) Google permanently withheld unpaid amounts in your AdSense account in their entirety, and 3) the sum withheld totaled $10 or more.

What Is This Case About? Plaintiffs allege that when Google terminated AdSense publishers for alleged breach of contract, it improperly withheld unpaid amounts in those publishers’ accounts. The allegations against Google include, among other things, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Google denies these claims.


What Are My Options? If you are a Settlement Class Member, and would like to receive a Settlement Payment, you must submit a Claim Form no later than September 4, 2018 via online submission at www.AdSensePublisherSettlement.com/poc, via fax (1-888-425-6983), or via mail (Free Range Content v. Google, c/o GCG, P.O. Box 10537, Dublin, OH 43017-4537). If you submit a Claim Form or do nothing, you will be legally bound by the settlement, and you will not be able to sue Google about the legal claims resolved by this settlement. If you wish to exclude yourself from the settlement, you can submit an Opt-Out Form no later than September 4, 2018. This is the only option that allows you to sue Google regarding the legal claims in this case. If you do not opt-out, you may object to the settlement and you or your lawyer may also ask to speak at the hearing if you timely submit an Objection and request to be heard at the Final Fairness Hearing. To do so, you must include a Notice of Intention to Appear in the body of the Objection. Objectors who fail to submit or include this Notice of Intention to Appear may not speak at the Final Fairness Hearing without permission of the Court. If you choose to make an Objection through an attorney or have an attorney appear at the Final Fairness Hearing on your behalf, you will be solely responsible for paying that attorney’s fees. The deadline to submit Objections and requests to appear is September 4, 2018. If you object to the settlement, you will be bound by the settlement’s terms and will not be allowed to exclude yourself from the settlement; you will lose the right to sue Google and/or any other released entities regarding the legal claims in this case. Additional details are available at www.AdSensePublisherSettlement.com.

Fairness Hearing: The Court will hold a Final Fairness Hearing on October 18, 2018 at 1:30 PM at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Courthouse, 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. At this hearing, the Court will consider whether: 1) the settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate; 2) to approve the Class Representative Service Awards; and 3) to approve attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses to Class Counsel. The motions for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses and Service Awards will be available at www.AdSensePublisherSettlement.com after they are filed.

More Information: To get a copy of the detailed Notice, Claim Form, or Settlement Agreement or to learn more, visit www.AdSensePublisherSettlement.com, call 1-888-684-5073, or email
[email protected].


Les détails sont disponibles sur le site www.AdSensePublisherSettlement.com.

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