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Pittsburgh Couple Successful in Claim Against Google for Street View Photo
A lawsuit against Google Inc. by a Pittsburgh couple has ended with a court-approved, mutually agreed verdict, whereby Google has conceded that it wrongfully trespassed on the couple’s property in order to take a photo of their home for Google’s Street View service. The settlement victory is one of principle, as the parties agreed that Google would only pay $1.00 in damages to the couple.
The couple had also claimed that Google violated the couple’s privacy rights by taking the photo. A U.S. magistrate dismissed the privacy claims on the basis that the couple could not support a contention that their property decreased in value, and saying that it was “hard to believe that any - other than the most exquisitely sensitive - would suffer shame or humiliation” from having their house photographed. The court also found that Google’s conduct was not outrageous enough to warrant punitive damages.
Each of the parties is bearing its own legal costs.
For additional information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/Google-Pays-1-Damage