San Francisco – August 17, 2026 – Cooley secured a summary judgment win for its client Google in a class action pending since 2022. The case involved a certified class of users who alleged that Google breached certain terms of use when it discontinued the free version of Google Apps in 2022 after providing it to certain users since 2006.

At summary judgment, Judge P. Casey Pitts of the US District Court for the Northern District of California found that the contract permitted Google to terminate the free version of Google Apps, and that it was not unfair for Google to do so under California’s Unfair Competition Law. He entered summary judgment for Google on all claims and on a classwide basis.

Although the court certified a nationwide class in June 2025, at summary judgment, the court adopted Google’s interpretation of the agreements in full. It held that the contractual promise to provide the free version of Google Apps was subject to an express right to terminate the provision of the software to any user “at any time and for any reason.” Because the contracts expressly authorized Google to discontinue the service, the court granted summary judgment on the breach-of-contract claim.

The court then found that the plaintiff’s California Unfair Competition Law claim fell with the contract claim. The court held that Google’s conduct could not be characterized as “unfair” when the parties’ contracts expressly authorized it. The court separately found that the named plaintiff lacked standing to pursue a theory based on alleged misrepresentations because he had not shown that he relied on any of Google’s prior statements outside of the contract.

The Cooley team was led by partners Whitty Somvichian, Kristine Forderer, Bobby Earles and Chris Andrews, along with associates Alex Cubaleski, Joyce Rodriguez-Luna and Elias Garcia.

Read the order.

The case is Rabin v. Google LLC (US District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 5:22-cv-04547-PCP).

About Cooley LLP

Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation.

Cooley has nearly 1,400 lawyers across 19 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe, and a total workforce of more than 3,000 people.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only, and your access or use of the content does not create an attorney-client relationship between you or your organization and Cooley LLP, Cooley (UK) LLP, or any other affiliated practice or entity (collectively referred to as "Cooley"). By accessing this content, you agree that the information provided does not constitute legal or other professional advice. This content is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction, and you should not act or refrain from acting based on this content. This content may be changed without notice. It is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up to date, and it may not reflect the most current legal developments. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Do not send any confidential information to Cooley, as we do not have any duty to keep any information you provide to us confidential. When advising companies, our attorney-client relationship is with the company, not with any individual. This content may have been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence (Al) in accordance with our Al Principles, may be considered Attorney Advertising and is subject to our legal notices.