Google has reportedly offered to pay the full amount of monetary damages sought by the agency to the U.S. Department of Justice to prevent its ad monopoly case from being tried by a jury.
register report Tech giant Google, the company facing an antitrust jury trial for allegedly monopolizing the online advertising market, has taken an unconventional approach to avoid a jury trial: Google provided the Department of Justice with a check for an undisclosed amount, claiming that it would cover the full amount of monetary damages the government is seeking, according to a recent federal court filing in Virginia.
Participants take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the opening of Israeli artist Michel Kishka’s “Frontline Cartoons” exhibition at the MOCAK Museum of Modern Art. April 11, 2024 in Krakow, Poland. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The move comes as Google argues that the Justice Department’s request for a jury trial is unjustified and that the case is highly technical and beyond the understanding of most potential jurors. “The Department of Justice concocted a last-minute damages claim in an attempt to secure a jury trial in a case that even they themselves described as ‘highly technical’ and ‘outside the routine knowledge of most potential jurors,'” Google told the Register.
Google has pleaded not guilty to charges that it abused its monopoly position in the online advertising market despite offering to pay. The company has emphasized its willingness to defend its business and strategy in court, even without jury involvement.
The antitrust lawsuit, filed in early 2023, has garnered a lot of attention, with the number of state plaintiffs growing to 17 in addition to the Justice Department. The original complaint alleges that Google acquired competitors, forced publishers and advertisers to use its tools, and auctioned ad space to eliminate or reduce threats to its dominance in the digital advertising technology field. He was accused of manipulating the
The exact amount offered by Google has not yet been disclosed, but the company claims the Justice Department’s damages lawsuit was significantly less than originally stated. Initially, the Justice Department had sought more than $100 million in damages for ads placed by certain federal agencies. But Google claims that through the discovery process, the claim was reduced to less than $1 million, less than the amount it spent hiring experts for the case.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
