the pro-business agenda is to eliminate or reduce class actions as much as possible because they can be a huge cost of doing business. Litigation generally is h

the pro-business agenda is to eliminate or reduce class actions as much as possible because they can be a huge cost of doing business. Litigation generally is how businesses are held accountable for their actions because in the US there tends to be very little governmental regulatory enforcement in most industries. Cy pres settlements are generally easy headlines: "Charities get $X million, lawyers get $Y million, regular folks get nothing." Which means it's easy to demagogue. The larger picture is that having to pay $8.5 million plus whatever O'Melveny & Meyers was charging for defense costs led Google to change its business practices. Where that money goes is largely beside the point, though plenty of free market legal scholars will note that large attorneys' fees encourage more such suits, which means more zealous enforcement of consumer protection laws.