Published
July 26, 2025
Updated
July 29, 2026
This settlement resolved claims that Google collected face and voice models from students who used Google Workspace for Education at Illinois schools, without the notice and consent Illinois biometric privacy law requires. The claim window closed in October 2025, the court granted final approval that same month, and payments to approved claims began in February 2026.
Current Status
Claims are closed. The deadline to submit a claim form was October 16, 2025, and new claims are no longer accepted. On October 17, 2025, the Circuit Court of McDonough County, Illinois entered an order granting final approval of the settlement, awarding attorneys' fees and service payments, and entering final judgment. The settlement administrator reports that distribution of payments to approved claims began on February 13, 2026. Class members have reported receiving $474.57 each, well above the $30 to $100 range the notice estimated.StatusPayments in ProgressFinal approval granted October 17, 2025 · distribution began February 13, 2026.
Claim DeadlineOctober 16, 2025New claims are not accepted.
Settlement Fund$8,750,000Split pro rata among approved claims · reported payments of $474.57 each
Proof RequiredNoNo administrator-issued claim ID or documents were needed to file; the administrator could request proof of identity or enrollment to verify a claim.
What Was the Case About?
The complaint alleged that Google violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, known as BIPA, by collecting and storing biometric identifiers and biometric information — specifically face models and voice models — from people enrolled in Illinois schools who used Google Workspace for Education, formerly G Suite for Education, without first providing the written notice and obtaining the written consent the statute requires.BIPA is an Illinois law that regulates how private entities may capture, store and share biometric data such as face geometry and voiceprints. It is unusual among U.S. privacy statutes because it gives individuals a private right of action, which is why a large share of the country's biometric class actions are filed in Illinois.
Google denied the allegations and denied any wrongdoing. It agreed to pay $8.75 million to resolve the case, and the settlement is not an admission of liability. The case is captioned H.K. et al. v. Google LLC and was filed in the Circuit Court of McDonough County, Illinois.
Who Was Covered?
The settlement class covered Illinois residents who, at any time between March 26, 2015 and May 15, 2025, had a voice model or face model created, or had the Voice Match or Face Match feature enabled, in a Google Workspace for Education or G Suite for Education account while enrolled in a school located in Illinois.Because much of the class was made up of minors, the claim form allowed a parent or guardian to file on a student's behalf. Google employees, affiliates and other parties identified in the notice were excluded from the class.
How Much Did Class Members Receive?
The $8.75 million fund was divided pro rata among all approved claims after court-approved deductions for attorneys' fees, service payments and administration costs. The notice estimated a payment of roughly $30 to $100 per approved claim, with the caveat that the real figure depended on how many valid claims came in.The actual per-claimant payment came in far higher. Class members have reported receiving $474.57, which reflects a lower claim rate than the estimate assumed — with fewer approved claims sharing the same fund, each share grew. OCA covered the payment reports in a separate post on the $474.57 Google BIPA payouts. This is how pro rata distribution works in practice: the estimate in a notice is a projection, not a promise, and it can move in either direction.
Payments were issued through the electronic options offered on the claim form, including digital payment services and virtual prepaid cards, or by paper check for claimants who selected that option.
What Was Required to File?
A claimant did not need an administrator-issued Class Member ID, Notice ID or PIN to submit a claim, and no documents had to be attached to the claim form. The online portal offered a field for the Settlement Claim ID printed in the emailed notice, but the filing instructions let a class member who never received a notice indicate they did not have one and file anyway. The form asked for the claimant's name and contact information, the Illinois school attended, the email address associated with the education account, a payment selection and a signed certification.The settlement administrator reserved the right to request additional documentation to verify a claim after it was submitted — for example proof of identity or proof of enrollment such as a student ID, transcript or course list. That verification step was conditional and applied only if the administrator asked for it, so it did not gate the act of filing.
What Happens Next?
Final approval has been granted and final judgment has been entered, so the remaining work is administration of the fund. Distribution to approved claims began on February 13, 2026. As of July 29, 2026, no announcement that distribution is complete, and no second or residual distribution, had been located in public sources.Anyone with a question about the status of their own claim should use the contact form on the official settlement website rather than relying on third-party summaries. Official information is posted at Google Education BIPA Settlement.com.
Important Dates
• Class period: March 26, 2015 through May 15, 2025• Exclusion deadline: September 1, 2025
• Objection deadline: September 1, 2025
• Claim deadline: October 16, 2025
• Final approval hearing: October 14, 2025
• Final approval order and final judgment entered: October 17, 2025
• Distribution of payments to approved claims began: February 13, 2026
Other Google Privacy Cases
Google faces a number of separate privacy class actions, and being covered by this one does not affect eligibility for any other. The Google Assistant privacy settlement covers accidental voice-assistant activations and is still accepting claims, and the Google Play children's privacy settlement covers children under 13 who used Google Play apps. Each has its own class definition and its own deadline.Sources
• Official settlement website: Google Education BIPA Settlement.com• Order granting final approval of class action settlement, awarding attorneys' fees and service payments, and entering final judgment, entered October 17, 2025 — Circuit Court of McDonough County, Illinois
• Settlement notice, claim form and court documents posted by the settlement administrator
• Class counsel announcement of final approval
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Fund
$8,750,000
Defendant
Google LLC
Claims
Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14)
Case
H.K. et al. v. Google LLC · No. CC 20LL00017
Court
Circuit Court of McDonough County, Illinois
Class Period
March 26, 2015 – May 15, 2025
Claim Deadline
October 16, 2025
Final Approval
Granted October 17, 2025
Final judgment entered the same day.
Status
Payments in Progress
Distribution to approved claims began February 13, 2026.
Official Website
Google Education BIPA Settlement.com
