Supreme Court to Consider Plaintiffs' Appeal of Google, Viacom Privacy Case Dismissal

A Viacom and Google privacy case could get Supreme Court review this term. A petition for writ of certiorari was filed last month appealing the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissal (see 1606270047) of most parts of a class-action lawsuit that accused the companies of illegally collecting personal data of children. Odds of the high court granting reviews are long, said Stephen Wermiel, American University professor of practice in constitutional law, in an interview, with the court receiving upward of 7,000 petitions for writ of certiorari each session and accepting a low single-digit percentage of them. The Supreme Court last week ordered a time extension to Nov. 17 for respondents to file comments. Counsel for the petitioners -- several minor children and their families -- didn't comment this week.