Google owner Alphabet has had any potential damages bill for alleged overcharging on its app store slashed after a Federal judge reversed his class action status order.
San Francisco District Judge James Donato concluded that expert testimony for the plaintiffs was based on “assumptions about the Play Store apps that are not supported by the evidence,” Bloomberg reported.
The ruling has yet to be finalised and the judge has instructed Google and the plaintiffs to resolve issues over an appeal by the date of the next hearing scheduled for 7 September.
Brought by 21 million Play Store consumers, the action is part of a string of writs, including by game developers and US states, against Google for inflating the cost of Android apps by taking a cut of up to 30% of transactions.
“We appreciate the court’s careful consideration of this issue,” a Google spokesperson said.
“We look forward to making our case at trial.”