SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK

Court turns down Google's appeal in class action lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from Google over a class action lawsuit filed by advertisers who claim the internet company displayed their ads on "low quality" web sites.

The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the lawsuit representing hundreds of thousands of advertisers using Google's AdWords program could go forward.

Google argued that a federal appeals court in San Francisco should not have approved the class action because damages must be calculated individually for each company advertiser. The appeals court rejected that argument and approved use of a formula that would calculate harm based on the average advertiser's experience.

Google runs what is by far the world's largest digital ad network. It generated $67 billion in revenue last year.

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Justices reject Ecuador's appeal of $96M award to Chevron

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from the government of Ecuador contesting a $96 million arbitration award to Chevron Corp stemming from a 1990s-era oil contract dispute.

The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that rejected Ecuador's challenge to the 2011 award from the Netherlands-based international arbitration panel.

The dispute centers on seven contracts that Texaco Petroleum Inc. had with Ecuador in 1991 to 1993. Chevron bought Texaco in 2001.

Chevron claimed Ecuador violated provisions of a 1997 investment treaty by failing to resolve lawsuits in a timely fashion. The appeals court agreed with a 2013 ruling from a federal district judge that sided with Chevron.

Published: Wed, Jun 08, 2016