Google Must Pay Sanctions After Erasing “Chat” Evidence in Antitrust Cases, According to US Court

In his ruling, US District Judge James Donato of the San Francisco court found that Google “fell strikingly short” of its obligations to maintain records.

A US judge ruled on Tuesday that Alphabet’s Google must pay sanctions and could be punished at trial for willfully destroying employee “chat” evidence in California antitrust litigation. Google also faces possible punishment at trial.

In his ruling, US District Judge James Donato of the San Francisco court found that Google “fell strikingly short” of its obligations to maintain records. The decision is a result of a multidistrict litigation that involves companies like Epic Games and Match Group, a consumer class action with up to 21 million members, 38 states, and the District of Columbia.

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Customers and other plaintiffs are contesting Google’s purported monopoly over the distribution of Android mobile applications; Google has refuted the allegations. Plaintiffs have requested a total of $4.7 billion in damages. (roughly Rs. 38,651 crore).

The plaintiffs’ attorneys were asked by the judge to submit a request for legal fees by April 21.

Separately, the plaintiffs will have the chance to ask Donato to inform the jury that Google deleted evidence against it. At a later point in the case, he stated that he would like to see “the state of play.”The judge stated that “Google has tried to downplay the issue and displayed a dismissive attitude out of proportion to the seriousness of its conduct.”Google’s has “produced over three million documents, including thousands of chats,” according to a spokesperson on Tuesday.

Google’s attorneys claimed in a court document from last year that the company took “robust steps to preserve relevant chats.”

Plaintiffs’ attorneys were unable to immediately comment.

According to their filings, the attorneys stated that they were looking for instant messaging communication “on topics at the core” of the litigation. According to the attorneys, Google deleted chat records every 24 hours and continued to do so “even after this litigation began.”According to the judge, Gogle “largely left employees to their own devices to ascertain what Chat communications might be relevant to the litigation.”

November is when the trial is scheduled to start.

Separately, Google is disputing allegations that it destroyed chat records in an antitrust case brought by the US Justice Department in a federal court in Washington, DC.In re Google Play Store Antitrust Litigation, Northern District of California, US District Court, No. 3:21-md-02981-JD.