Google customers win class-action status in lawsuit over app store prices

Next summer, judges will determine whether Google is guilty of “misleading” millions of Google Play customers by warning them not to download apps from rival app shops or services.

According to the complaint, Google’s false warnings caused millions of users throughout the country to pay “artificially inflated” charges for apps they could have purchased for less elsewhere.

Google initially challenged the class-action classification, alleging, among other things, that each of the individual plaintiffs’ suings couldn’t establish genuine injury, possibly allowing uninjured persons to join the class action.

In his judgment awarding class-action status last week, US District Judge James Donato sided with Google.

Google has not demonstrated that this is a risk in this case.”

A Google spokesperson declined to comment further to BKT.