JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Supreme Court says a state lawsuit against Google alleging violations of student privacy should stay in a northeast Mississippi court.
The court voted 6-2 on Thursday to deny an appeal by the unit of California-based Alphabet Inc. Google wanted the Lowndes County lawsuit dismissed, saying Mississipi Attorney General Jim Hood filed it in the wrong place.
A three-justice panel denied the appeal earlier, but Google asked the full court to reconsider.
Hood, a Democrat, says Google violates Mississippi consumer protection law by selling ads using data from school services.
Hood wants a judge to order Google to stop the practice. The suit says Google could be fined $10,000 for every student account in Mississippi. With half of Mississippi districts using Google services, that amount could top $2.5 billion.
