A federal judge ruled on Friday that Alphabet Inc.’s Google will not have a jury trial over the company’s monopoly in digital advertising because the company paid $2.3 million to cover U.S. government claims of damages.
Google’s payment means it can avoid a jury trial because non-monetary claims in antitrust cases are heard directly by a judge. The company said it would be the first time a civil antitrust case brought by the Justice Department has gone to a jury trial.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states sued the tech giant last year, alleging that the company illegally monopolized digital advertising and overcharged users. The lawsuit is primarily aimed at breaking up Google’s digital advertising business to promote competition.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, ruled Friday and scheduled a non-jury trial for Sept. 9, when Brinkema will hear arguments to decide the case in person.
Google denies any wrongdoing and says its damages settlement does not admit liability. “The Department of Justice’s trumped-up damages claim collapses” in a statement on Friday, calling the lawsuit “a baseless attempt to pick winners and losers in a highly competitive industry.”
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
Google said last month that the government, which had initially sought more than $100 million in damages, had instead sought less than $1 million in damages — the $2.3 million Google paid included interest and a possible tripling of damages under U.S. antitrust law.
Google had accused the federal government of fabricating its claim for monetary damages to ensure a jury trial, because non-monetary claims in antitrust cases are heard directly by a judge.
The Department of Justice responded that it was willing to settle the monetary damages portion, but only if Google wrote a bigger check.
“Google has fought hard to hide its anti-competitive conduct from public view,” the government told Brinkema last month.
