Privacy class action firms jockey for control of 23andMe data breach claims; Edelson calls for new approach

Northern California Record (Apr 19, 2024) — Trial lawyers have launched bids to gain control of about 40 class action lawsuits, worth potentially massive money, that have already been filed against genetic testing company 23andMe over a data breach affecting nearly 7 million people.

And one of the firms seeking control has asked the San Francisco judge handling the consolidated cases to consider a new strategy to decide which law firms get the lead spot, and likely the lion’s share of any fee awards that may come down in a settlement or judgment to resolve the litigation.

On April 18, the firms of Edelson P.C., of Chicago and San Francisco, and Tycko & Zavareei LLP, of Oakland and Washington, D.C., each filed competing motions in San Francisco federal court, seeking to be appointed lead counsel for the 23andMe class actions.

Each of the law firms touted its depth of experience, and its leading role in moving forward data and privacy class action litigation using privacy and consumer protection laws in California and Illinois – laws which have drawn calls for reform from the nation’s business and legal reform advocates, as they have been used to generate an avalanche of class action lawsuits and billions of dollars in fees for plaintiffs’ lawyers through the years. Read more here.