A federal judge ordered Google to pay a nearly $1 million penalty for misconduct in a privacy lawsuit in California, rebuking the tech giant’s actions in a yearslong case that has not yet gone to trial.
An order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California describing the wrongdoing remains under seal but the plaintiffs’ lawyers collecting the fees previously accused Google of concealing data sources and evidence.
Judge Susan Van Keulen ordered Google on Friday to pay attorneys’ fees totaling more than $971,000 for discovery misconduct.
The fine appears to be a slap on the wrist compared to the punishment plaintiffs ultimately want the federal court to impose upon Google.