Legal News – Roger Kaye KC a retired deputy High Court judge is set to front a collective action with KP Law, worth billions of pounds, alleging that Google has abused its dominant position in online search advertising.
Roger Kaye KC’s claim will be the latest in a series of cases brought in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) against Google and its parent, Alphabet, over abuse of a dominant position.
Mr Kaye, whom has over 40 years experience of helping to resolve disputes in a judicial or quasi-judicial role, whether as judge, arbitrator, mediator or investigator currently practises as a mediator and arbitrator from Enterprise Chambers.
Kaye alleges that thousands of businesses and other commercial entities have had to pay more for search advertising than they should have done as a result of Google’s unlawful conduct.
Specialising in group action claims and a leading firm in the Dieselgate class action abasing Volkswagen, KP Law of Chancery Lane, London said it expected to file an application for an opt-out collective proceedings order before Christmas.
Consulting firm Keystone Strategy is among those supporting the claim, which KP Law has said was fully funded.
Duncan Hedar, head of KP Law’s competition department, said: “Google’s conduct in the search advertising market has been found to be abusive by both the European Commission and more recently by a US court in proceedings brought by the US Department of Justice.
“Mr Kaye’s case is that businesses have overpaid for services offered by Google as a result of that abusive conduct and it’s only right that they be able to recover those losses. It is important that competition law continues to protect the rights of businesses and doesn’t allow monopoly power to create a very unlevel playing field.”
More details will be provided when the application is filed.
