
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
Featured News
Court Order Temporarily Halts U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Layoffs
Feb 16, 2025 by
CPI
Nokia Poised to Gain EU Approval for $2.3 Billion Infinera Acquisition
Feb 16, 2025 by
CPI
Turkey Fines Frito-Lay in Antitrust Crackdown
Feb 16, 2025 by
CPI
Advances Bill to Strengthen Antitrust Enforcement Through AI
Feb 16, 2025 by
CPI
Intel Faces Potential Breakup as Broadcom and TSMC Explore Deals
Feb 16, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – International Criminal Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
CPI
The Antitrust Division’s Recent Work to Combat International Cartels
Jan 23, 2025 by
Emma Burnham & Benjamin Christenson
Information Sharing: The New Frontier of U.S. Antitrust Enforcement
Jan 23, 2025 by
Brian P. Quinn, Casey Kovarik & Michael Tubach
The Key Role of Guidelines on Exchanges of Information Among Competitors and the Divergent Transatlantic Paths
Jan 23, 2025 by
Rosa Abrantes-Metz & Albert Metz
Leniency, Whistleblowers, and Compliance
Jan 23, 2025 by
Richard Powers, Tara O’Malley & Cory Gordon