US District Judge To Free Google from Class-Action Lawsuit

In a decisive ruling, U.S. District Judge Edward Donato announced on Monday that he will be freeing Google from having to defend a class-action lawsuit that could represent up to 21 million consumers. The consumers have alleged that Google violated federal antitrust laws by overcharging them through the Google Playstore app.

Reuters reported that “consumers claimed they would have paid less for apps and enjoyed expanded choice but for Google’s alleged monopoly”. As a result of the lawsuit, consumers sought to receive reimbursement for the alleged overcharges. Donato disagreed with the consumers’ argument and stated that his decision not to accept an expert witness for the consumers derailed an “essential element” of the certification for the class-action claim.

Read more: Google’s Latest Play Store Suit Gets Class Action Status

As if this situation was not complicated enough, the class action lawsuit is unrelated to the antitrust case which was brought against Google by 38 states and the District of Columbia, including companies such as Epic Games and Match Group, (MTCH. O)

In a tweet, Google’s spokesperson, Jose Castaneda, reassured the public: “We feel confident this decision will be the right one. We believe that our company has done nothing wrong and the ruling will reflect that belief”.

This case may have finally come to an end with Donato’s ruling. Even though the decision seems to be in Google’s favor, there has been no resolution to the lawsuit brought about by the 38 states and the District of Columbia.

Source: Reuters