Class Action suit against Google is dismissed; plaintiffs claimed Google was responsible for high phone prices

You might remember back last May when an anti trust suit was filed against Google. One of the plaintiffs was the owner of an HTC EVO 3D. He claimed that because of Google's business practices and its restrictions on Android, he had to pay an artificially high price for his handset. In a response made at that time, Google cleverly said that "Anyone can use Android without Google and anyone can use Google without Android." The suit sought injunctive relief and damages under both federal and state anti-trust laws.

The plaintiffs argued that Google's secret Mobile Application Distribution Agreements (MADA) forced manufacturers to bundle all of Google's built-in apps like YouTube, Maps and Google Play onto an Android handset, or lose the right to use any of them. In other words, the plaintiffs claimed that Google's "all or nothing" approach was forcing Android handset manufacturers to artifically hike their prices.

On Friday, the plaintiffs' law firm (Hagens Berman) filed a notice with the Northern California District Court stating that they have withdrawn their antitrust suit against Google without prejudice. This means that the plaintiffs are free to file this case again.

Friday's motion to withdraw the suit came after Google successfully had an amended complaint dismissed in February. Judge Beth Labson Freeman had agreed with Google's attorneys who argued that there was no evidence to support the claims that MADA prevented customers from having choices, and also held back corporate innovation.

After the first amended complaint was dismissed in February, the plaintiffs were given the opportunity to re-file. Friday was the deadline to do so. Instead of re-filing, the plaintiffs decided to withdraw their claims, at least for now.

source: AppleInsider