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Arkansas Landmark Legal Settlements

Arkansas Judge OK's Google Settlement
In 2006, an Arkansas judge OK’d a $90 million settlement between Google, Inc. and advertisers who claimed the Internet search engine company improperly billed them for "clicks" that didn't lead to genuine customers seeking their products.

In the settlement, Google agreed to give advertising credits equivalent to a $3.80 refund on every $1,000 spent in its advertising network over a 4-year span. In Internet advertising, clicking on ads or windows — typically displayed at the top and sides of Web pages — triggers sales commissions even if the activity doesn't lead to a sale. Click fraud cropped up as a way to drain advertising budgets or funnel illicit revenue to websites.

Clinton Settlement
In his last full day in office, President Bill Clinton admitted to giving false testimony in the Monica Lewinsky investigation, accepted a 5-year suspension of his Arkansas law license and agreed to pay a $25,000 fine as part of a settlement to avoid criminal indictment for perjury.

The deal concluded an investigation that began in 1994 with questions about the Clintons' ties to a suspicious Arkansas land deal dubbed Whitewater. That independent probe eventually led to Clinton’s impeachment on allegations of perjury and obstruction of justice for making false statements about a sexual relationship with Lewinsky during an unrelated sexual misconduct lawsuit. The agreement meant a disbarment suit in Arkansas against the President was dismissed.

Wal-Mart pays U.S. $11 Million in Lawsuit on Illegal Workers
In 2005, federal prosecutors and immigration officials reached an agreement with Arkansas-based Wal-Mart to pay a record $11 million to settle accusations that it used hundreds of illegal immigrants to clean its stores. Federal investigators decided not to bring criminal charges against Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, because store representatives were cooperating and pledged strong action to prevent future hiring of illegal immigrants at its 3,600 U.S. stores.