04:59 AM EDT, 05/14/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Google's ( GOOG ) response in the fifth and sixth paragraphs.)

Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) is facing at least 12 billion euros ($13.33 billion) in legal claims from dozens of European Union price comparison websites that claim the search engine stole their customers, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing court documents.

The civil suits stem from a 2017 decision by the European Commission to fine Google ( GOOG ) 2.4 billion euros for abusing its domination of the search engine space to give its own shopping service an advantage in violation of antitrust laws, the report said.

The cases are moving forward following a ruling last year that upheld the European Commission decision, the report said.

At least 12 lawsuits have been filed in seven countries including the UK, Netherlands, and Germany, according to Bloomberg.

A Google ( GOOG ) spokesperson said in a statement to MT Newswires that the company made changes in 2017 that addressed European Commission concerns, and that the number of comparison shopping sites in Europe has since grown from seven to more than 1,550.

"We strongly disagree with these lawsuits which are brought by companies looking for a payout instead of investing in their own products," the spokesperson said.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)