After a judge approved a complaint alleging that the Alphabet-owned tech giant overcharged 19.5 million users for app store purchases, Google (GOOGL.O) will now stand trial in London over an estimated 920 million pound ($1.1 billion) damages claim.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal certified the class action on Monday, alleging that Google had abused its dominant position by imposing up to a 30% commission on well-known apps including Roblox, Candy Crush Saga, and Tinder since October 2015.
Tuesday’s statement from a claimant group spokeswoman indicated that a full ruling has not yet been made public.
Requests for comments were not immediately answered by Google.
Regulators, competitors, and consumer advocates are suing companies like Google and rival Apple (AAPL.O) for allegedly engaging in anti-competitive behavior in an effort to rein in Big Tech.
In recent years, Google has been fined $8.2 billion by the European Union alone for antitrust violations.
Liz Coll, a former digital policy manager at the nonprofit Citizens Advice service, is the plaintiff in the most recent British lawsuit brought against Google.
It is not anticipated that the case will go to trial before 2024. The legal team at Hausfeld is advising her.
