Alphabet Inc.’s Google LLC intentionally destroyed employee “chat” evidence in antitrust litigation in California and must pay sanctions and face a possible penalty at trial, a U.S. judge ruled.
U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco said in his order on Tuesday that Google “fell strikingly short” in its duties to preserve records. The ruling is part of a multidistrict litigation that includes a consumer class action with as many as 21 million residents; 38 states and the District of Columbia; and companies including Epic Games Inc. and Match Group LLC.
