Apple must hand over all decision-making documents to the judge presiding over the antitrust case against Epic. That's according to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rodgers, who issued the order this week. Apple's case against Epic originally began in 2020, when Epic filed a lawsuit against Apple for allegedly violating antitrust laws. Epic's claims were that Apple forced developers to use proprietary tools for app distribution and development.
During the course of the case, Rodgers ruled that Apple should come up with a revised set of App Store policies to take this into account. Now Rodgers is asking for it all documents that relate to decision-making. Presumably so she can see if the company violated that order.
If she notices anything irregular, it could influence her final decision about the ruling. However, it will be unclear what happens until those documents are reviewed.
The judge orders Apple to turn over “all documents” in the Epic case related to decision-making
It seems like Apple has left little room for error here. Judge Gonzalez Rodgers makes it pretty clear what she's looking for. If Courthouse News Service notes that Rodgers says she “wants to see all of Apple's documents regarding the decision-making process regarding the issues before the court.” Rodgers also leaves Apple no wiggle room. “All of them. If there are concerns, be too broad,” Rodgers said.
This request should leave no room for Apple to accidentally leave out anything that could be relevant to this specific issue. Rodgers does not mention what her decision might be if she finds that Apple has violated the ban. However, if that turns out to be the case, her final decision will obviously not be in Apple's favor.
In March, Epic filed a new lawsuit against Apple over the commission fees Apple still planned to take. A month later, it then alleged that Apple violated the court order with these charges.
A final decision should be made by the middle of next week
While it is not clear what the outcome will be, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rodgers may make a decision next week. She says all parties will return to court next Tuesday to discuss the case. At this point she can finally make her final decision on the ruling.
