AUSTIN – Attorney General Paxton announced an $8 million settlement with Google for its deceptive advertisements that promoted the Google Pixel 4 smartphone.
Paxton sued Google to protect Texas’s consumer marketplace against false and misleading advertisements by the technology giant, a press release states.
“Texas will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens and our state economy from corporations’ false and misleading advertisements,” said Paxton. “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. 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.
"They must be held accountable for their misdeeds. I will continue to protect the integrity of our marketplace and ensure that companies who lie to Texas consumers are held to account.”
Google hired radio DJs to record and broadcast detailed testimonials about their personal experiences with the Pixel 4, but Google 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.
In another case alleging the same deceptive advertising, the FTC and six other states settled with Google for $9 million, while Paxton’s settlement recovers $8 million for the State of Texas alone.