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Dallas, Texas · On the record

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Andrew J. Hillman, Dallas, Texas. This site is the public record. Primary sources, court records, SEC filings, FDA clearances, CMS registries, press, and the operating history, each linked to where it can be verified.

SubjectAndrew J. Hillman
LocationDallas, Texas
Local time

Federal Class Actions

Andrew Hillman Dallas

In his own words.

Federal privacy class actions filed against Ringleader Digital and Google, with the press coverage and academic citations that followed.

Andrew Jonathan Hillman
Andrew Jonathan Hillman · Dallas, Texas
ByAndrew J. Hillman
FromDallas, Texas
SubjectFederal class actions
Last verifiedMay 2026
Andrew Hillman
I.

As Plaintiff

Litigation I have brought and defended.

Hillman v. Ringleader Digital, Inc., No. 1:10-cv-08315 (S.D.N.Y., Judge Denise L. Cote). I was a named class representative in a federal class action against Ringleader Digital and, by consolidation and addition, a roster of large internet properties using the same covert mobile tracking, including GO2 Media, Inc., Surfline, WhitePages.com, The Travel Channel, CNN Money, Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, and Fox News, among others. The case alleged that the defendants had used HTML5 device-identifier "respawning", a successor to Flash-cookie respawning, to track mobile users' online activity without consent, including the activity of children and other users who had not been disclosed to or consented to the collection, in violation of federal computer-fraud and privacy laws. The case was consolidated with the related Aughenbaugh action on March 21, 2011.

The Court approved a class-wide settlement under which Ringleader Digital agreed to work with the Mobile Marketing Association on industry tracking standards, delete data collected from users who had opted out, improve opt-out disclosures, and pay thirty thousand dollars to the named plaintiffs and six hundred seventy thousand dollars in class counsel fees. The case is cited in the privacy bar alongside In re Clearspring Flash Cookie Litigation and In re Quantcast Advertising Cookie Litigation as one of the early class settlements that drove industry-side change on covert mobile-device tracking.

For broader context on the federal video-privacy and consumer-privacy litigation landscape this case sits within, Covington and Burling's Inside Privacy analysis of the Netflix Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) settlement, "Netflix to Settle Video Privacy Suit" (May 2012), discusses Hillman v. Ringleader Digital among comparable consumer-privacy settlements. Andrew Hillman was not a party to the Netflix matter. It is referenced here only to illustrate the broader VPPA and privacy class-action landscape.

In a 2011 post-mortem in Digiday, Ringleader Digital's chief executive Bob Walczak attributed the company's June 2011 shutdown in significant part to the class action, telling the publication: “The suit just took our lights out. There were a number of factors that contributed, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back.”

Docket: CourtListener, Hillman v. Ringleader Digital. Primary settlement document hosted by Covington & Burling's privacy practice: Ringleader Proposed Settlement (PDF, June 2013). The executed settlement agreement is also hosted there: Ringleader Settlement Agreement (PDF). Contemporaneous coverage: Wired, Privacy.org / EPIC, Marketing Dive (Mobile Marketer), and the Digiday post-mortem.

The Ringleader case is now used as teaching material in continuing legal education. It is included in the American Inns of Court December 2014 program, Selected Materials on Cyber Security (Part I), a CLE curriculum used by federal judges, magistrate judges, and practicing trial lawyers. The class action sits in the broader academic discussion of digital-privacy doctrine, including The Conversation, “The legal implications of digital privacy”, and academic legal scholarship in the Cornell Law Review on digital privacy and online tracking.

Levine et al. v. Google, Inc., No. 4:11-cv-02157 (N.D. Cal.), filed May 2, 2011. A federal class-action privacy lawsuit I organized and filed on behalf of two named family member plaintiffs against Google, Inc. and related defendants in the Northern District of California. The case sat in the same wave of consumer-privacy class actions that produced settlements and behavioral changes from the largest internet platforms during the 2011 to 2014 period. Filing the case in family members' names rather than my own was deliberate: privacy abuses against ordinary users, including older adults and family members who were not technology professionals, were the harm the case was built around. The named plaintiff was my relative Beverly Levine. The action was brought with attorney Joe Malley, the same counsel who handled Hillman v. Ringleader Digital, and my wife, Erin Hillman, served as co-class counsel. I organized and filed the case. I was not the named plaintiff.

The lawsuit, together with the Ringleader matter, reflects a consistent thread, a willingness to use the federal courts on the consumer side against large institutional counterparties when covert tracking, device-identifier respawning, or other privacy violations harm ordinary people, including minors and family members who never consented to the collection.

Reference: GovInfo, USCOURTS-cand-4_11-cv-02157.

In re Google Cellular Data Transfer Litigation, N.D. Cal., before Hon. Virginia DeMarchi. I am a class member in a federal class action alleging that Google passively transferred Android device data over user cellular data without consent, between November 12, 2017 and the date of final order. A $135 million class settlement received preliminary approval in March 2026. The final-approval hearing is set for June 23, 2026. The class is approximately 100 million U.S. Android device owners.

Primary docket: N.D. Cal. PACER record. Class administration is being handled through the court-appointed settlement administrator.

In re Google Assistant Privacy Litigation. I am a class member in a federal class action alleging that Google Assistant recorded and transcribed user audio without the user-uttered “OK Google” or “Hey Google” trigger word, in violation of federal and state wiretap and privacy laws. Claim administration is being handled at the dedicated court-supervised settlement portal.

Settlement portal: googleassistantprivacylitigation.com. Claim form: googleassistantprivacylitigation.com/file.

Andrew Hillman et al. v. Dallas Central Appraisal District, No. DC-22-12159 (193rd Judicial District Court, Dallas County, Texas), filed September 13, 2022. A Texas state-court property-tax matter in which I am a plaintiff, brought against the Dallas Central Appraisal District. The case is docketed as a tax appraisal action, the form of suit used under the Texas Tax Code to seek judicial review of a county appraisal district determination. The current status and disposition are on file with the Dallas County District Clerk and are not independently verified here.

Andrew Hillman. Map of Texas with Dallas marked for the 193rd Judicial District Court filing, Dallas County, No. DC-22-12159.
Texas. The red mark is Dallas, where Andrew Hillman et al. v. Dallas Central Appraisal District, No. DC-22-12159, was filed in the 193rd Judicial District Court, Dallas County, Texas, on September 13, 2022.

Record: Dallas County Courts Portal, official case and document search. Reference: Trellis, Andrew Hillman et al. v. Dallas Central Appraisal District, No. DC-22-12159.

II.

Press

Coverage and citations.

67 of 67 shown

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  3. 2018

  4. 2014

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  6. 2011

  7. 2010

  8. Ongoing

Operating facility records and primary sources

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Affiliations and causes
Andrew Hillman. Chabad Chabad.org Andrew Hillman. Aleph Institute Aleph Institute Andrew Hillman. Heroes for Israel Project Heroes for Israel Andrew Hillman Scholarship and Grant AH Scholarship Andrew Hillman Grant for Biotech AH Biotech Grant Andrew Hillman. Mensa International Mensa International
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Cited by

Transactions & M&A track record

Healthcare deals, taken private and public.

Andrew Hillman has helped take healthcare companies private and public, and has bought and sold healthcare businesses across multiple sectors.

Taken private

The Apothecary Shop pharmacies (formerly Over the Counter, OTC) and Digimed.

Public markets

Dynacq Healthcare (NASDAQ: DYII). The former Victory Hospitals, acquired by Nobilis Health Corp. (HLTH). Vista Hospital (Dallas, Texas, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas), a past hospital ownership. Andrew Hillman states Vista Hospital ranked number 2 on a 2002 Forbes list. That distinction reflects his account and is not independently verified here.

Bought & sold

Medical groups, anesthesia groups, chiropractic groups, MRI and imaging centers, clinical laboratories, and pharmacies.

SEC primary sources

Form D filings on public record.

Each item is a verifiable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form D filing for a company in the record. Source: SEC EDGAR.

Press
U.S. trademark applications on public record

FIBRADISC and REGENAGRAM on public record.

FibraDisc U.S. trademark application serial 99921958, applicant Andrew J. Hillman. Application, not a registration.
FibraDisc. U.S. trademark application serial 99921958. Applicant Andrew J. Hillman. APPLICATION, not a registration. Logo text as Justia shows it.

U.S. trademark applications on the public record. FIBRADISC: APPLICATION / serial 99921958 / status 630. Source: Justia Trademarks. REGENAGRAM: APPLICATION / serial 50079115. Source: USPTO TSDR.

Exosome and mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle products are not approved by the FDA for any indication. Content on this page is educational and describes published scientific literature. It does not describe an available treatment, it does not report results in patients, and it does not offer access to any therapy.
Authored work

Published research.

Andrew Hillman is the author of a white paper on Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell exosomes, examining the underlying science, the FDA Section 351(a) biologic classification, cGMP manufacturing, and the regulatory pathway for cell-free regenerative medicine. His author profile and uploads are hosted on Academia.edu.

Issuu publications

Community pieces on issuu.com/andrew-hillman. These are Issuu publications, not studies. The studies list on this record is at andrewhillmanrecord.com/studies.

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5396-321XAcademia.edu profileAndrew Hillman ORCID iD QR code
Operating ownership record

Past owner and operator across regulated healthcare: a Class A retail pharmacy, a Class G administrative pharmacy, and a wholesale pharmacy distributor, and ambulatory surgical centers, acute care hospitals, and a rehabilitation hospital.

Andrew Hillman: driving 30 years of business innovation.
On the record

The person behind the record.

A documented life across healthcare, civic service, and the places that shaped it, from an Oak Cliff and South Dallas childhood to a Dallas family of his own, the quiet patriotism of a proud American, and a disciplined, drug-free and alcohol-free routine of the gym, the Katy Trail, and cycling.

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Frequently asked questions

The record, answered.

Who is Andrew Hillman?
Andrew Jonathan Hillman is a Dallas, Texas entrepreneur and investor, principal of Hillman Ventures, with three decades in FDA-regulated healthcare and a documented record of more than 89 ventures and more than 85 strategic exits.
What is documented in this public record?
Primary sources including SEC Form D filings, CMS and NPI registrations, FDA 510(k) clearances, court records, press coverage, and recognitions, each cited so the record can be checked independently.
What is the Hillman v. Ringleader Digital matter?
It is a federal privacy class action in which Andrew Hillman was the named plaintiff. It is part of the public court record and is presented here for completeness and balance.
What is Andrew Hillman's current work?
He is the principal of Hillman Ventures, a Dallas biotech family office, and the author of research on regenerative medicine and FDA Section 351(a) biologics.
What is Andrew Hillman's philanthropy?
His giving includes the Andrew Hillman Family Room at the Lamplighter School, the Andrew Hillman Scholarship for Entrepreneurs, the Andrew Hillman Grant for Biotech, and support for community and charitable organizations in Dallas and beyond. Source: SlideServe / Lamplighter LampPost Fall 2017 / Report of Annual Giving 2016–2017 (school document hosted on SlideServe, not journalism).
How is the record verified?
Through primary sources and identity registries including Wikidata, ORCID, LinkedIn, and X, and an Academia.edu publications profile, each linked from this site.
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