Israeli Supreme Court Allows Lawyer to Review Class Action Against Google Despite No Direct Involvement

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected Google’s appeal against a lawyer, Amit Zilberg, who was granted permission to review a class action lawsuit filed against the company, even though he is not a party to the case. Zilberg had also requested access to 24 other previous legal proceedings against Google, including various direct lawsuits and class actions. He argued that he received inquiries about Google’s conduct and wanted to prepare for potential future litigation, emphasizing the public interest in transparency given Google’s status as a global corporation.

Google opposed the requests, accusing Zilberg of abusing legal procedures by conducting a "digital crusade" to find grounds for lawsuits unrelated to his clients. The company also claimed that many requests were repetitive and lacked proper justification, and raised concerns about confidential trade secrets in the files, which was resolved by excluding those documents from the case record.

Justice Ofer Groskopf, who authorized the hearing of the appeal, upheld the lower courts’ mixed rulings and dismissed Google’s appeal. He ruled that the default legal position favors granting access to court files to uphold the principle of public hearings, especially in class actions, which often involve public issues. The court noted that even third parties without direct interest may have legitimate reasons to review pleadings, and that allowing such access helps avoid duplicative lawsuits by informing potential plaintiffs.

The judge emphasized that Google’s blanket opposition was unfounded and that requests to review files in class actions should only be denied in rare cases with substantive reasons. He expressed hope that this clarification would prevent unnecessary future litigation. The ruling highlights the Israeli judiciary’s commitment to transparency and access to information in complex corporate litigation.