Google To Pay $8M To Settle Texas Deceptive Ads Charges


Google has agreed to pay $8 million to settle claims by the Texas attorney general’s office that it used deceptive ads to promote its Pixel 4 smartphone.

The settlement was announced by Texas AG Ken Paxton on Friday.

The complaint alleged that Google hired radio DJs to record and broadcast detailed testimonials about their personal experiences with the Pixel 4, but refused to provide the DJs with a phone for them to use.

“When confronted with the reality that Google’s ad campaign violated the law, rather than take corrective action, Google continued its deceptive advertising, prioritizing profits over truthfulness,” according to the AG’s announcement.

“If Google is going to advertise in Texas, their statements better be true. In this case, the company made statements that were blatantly false, and our settlement holds Google accountable for lying to Texans for financial gain,” Paxton stated. “Google enjoys significant influence over individual consumers and the marketplace broadly. It is imperative that large companies do not expect or enjoy special treatment under the law. 

In another, separate case alleging the same deceptive advertising, the FTC and six other states settled with Google for $9 million. The $8 million settlement recovers $8 million for Texas only.

Google discontinued the Pixel 4 model in August 2020, just nine months after its release--at least in part because the handset was affected by poor battery life, according to TechCrunch. 

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