McKool Smith, along with Keller Postman and Attorney General Ken Paxton, secured a massive $1.4 Billion settlement on behalf of the State of Texas against Meta Platforms/Facebook. The record-breaking settlement was announced on July 30, 2024 by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. It is the largest settlement ever obtained from an action brought by a single State.
- “Meta to Pay Record $1.4 Billion to End Texas Biometric Suit” Bloomberg Law (July 30, 2024) "The resolution in Texas state court is the largest settlement ever obtained by a single state, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a press release Tuesday. It comes through a mediated agreement announced by Paxton and McKool Smith PC, an outside firm representing Texas."
- “Texas Obtains $1.4B Settlement From Meta over Facial Recognition Data” Texas Lawbook (July 30, 2024) "The parties had reached an agreement in principle in May, just over a week before the trial was scheduled to start. The details of the settlement were made public Tuesday."
- “BREAKING: Texas, Meta Reach Historic $1.4B Deal In Biometric Data Suit” Law360 (July 30, 2024) "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and McKool Smith, which also represents Texas, said that the deal is "the largest settlement ever obtained from an action brought by a single state." The specifics of the settlement were announced Tuesday after the parties requested a 30-day stay in late May to finalize the deal."
- “Meta Reaches $1.4B Settlement With Texas: Meet the Lawyers” Texas Lawyer (July 30, 2024) "Attorney General Ken Paxton said the settlement was the largest ever obtained by the office. It is also the largest privacy settlement any attorney general has reached, dwarfing the $390 million settlement a group of 40 states obtained in 2022 from Google, Paxton claimed."
- “Meta Pays $1.4 Billion Over Texas Biometric Law Violations” Lexology Pro (July 30, 2024) "Meta has agreed to pay the largest civil penalty to a single state over claims its biometric data processes were deceptive and violated Texas biometric privacy legislation.