Google Tentatively Settles States’ Play Store Antitrust Case On 4 September, Google tentatively settled a class action lawsuit alleging that its US Play Store violated federal antitrust rules by overcharging customers. scheduled for 6 November along with other parties. The settlement, details of which were not disclosed, remains subject to approval by the court. Lawyers for Google, and the company itself (which had denied wrongdoing in the lawsuit) declined to comment on the settlement. The tech giant is currently facing a number of similar lawsuits claiming that it engaged in illegal tactics to preserve its monopoly in the smartphone industry in selling Android apps and inapp purchases. It is alleged that Google unlawfully mandated that some apps utilise its own payment tools, which give Google a cut of as much as 30% of digital sales proceeds. The lawsuit, which was brought by more than 30 US states on behalf of 21 million customers, claimed that the users might have paid less for apps and received a greater offering of options if not for the Alphabet subsidiary’s monopoly. Lawyers representing the attorney general of Utah, the state leading the claimants, asked for the cancellation of a trial that had been Monthly Round-Up OCTOBER 2023 Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Election Fraud Suit Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in the wide-ranging Florida election interference case after his indictment in Fulton County in late August. Trump is one of 19 people charged with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He faces 13 felony charges, including racketeering, for allegedly pressuring Georgia election officials to change the results of the vote in that state. The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the case, which he has described as politically motivated. In a document filed on 31 August, he formally asked a judge to sever his case from his co-defendants, who are pursuing a quick trial. Trump attorney Steven Sadow said he would not have “sufficient time” to prepare for trial by 23 October. “Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court,” the signed document stated. After turning himself in at Fulton County Jail, Trump agreed to a $200,000 bail bond and other release conditions, including not using social media to target the codefendants and witnesses in the case. 6 LAWYER MONTHLY OCTOBER 2023
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