Judge Cancels Class-Action Status Won by Users in Google Play Antitrust Case

Google will likely be off the hook for paying damages to 21 million users who claim in an antitrust lawsuit they were overcharged in the company’s app marketplace as a federal judge retracted a ruling that gave them class-action status.

The ruling, which is yet to be finalized, would dramatically reduce potential damages facing Alphabet Inc. over claims that Google Play abuses its control over Android mobile applications. The consumer dispute is part of a sweeping antitrust fight that also includes complaints filed by attorneys general of almost three dozen states, Epic Games Inc. and Match Group Inc. over Google Play store policies.

US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco canceled his class-status order after he concluded that testimony by an expert for consumer plaintiffs “is based on assumptions about the Play Store apps that are not supported by the evidence.”

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