Google Antitrust Case: Claims Dismissed by Judge

In a surprising turn of events, a US district court judge has dismissed several claims brought against Google by the Department of Justice and a coalition of states. The antitrust case, which accused Google of anti-competitive behavior, saw some of its key allegations thrown out.

The lawsuits, originally filed separately by the DOJ and 38 state attorneys general, have since been consolidated. The government claimed that Google’s search engine design intentionally harmed competing services such as Yelp, Expedia, and Tripadvisor.

However, Judge Amit Mehta dismissed this claim, stating that the government’s evidence of anti-competitive harm relied too heavily on the opinion and speculation of its expert, law professor Jonathan Baker. Additionally, the accusations related to Google’s agreements with developers and Android phone makers were dropped because the government abandoned those allegations.

While some key arguments in the case still remain standing, Google has filed a motion to dismiss the suit and is also facing a separate lawsuit from the DOJ regarding its dominance in the online advertisements market.

“We appreciate the Court’s careful consideration and decision to dismiss claims regarding the design of Google Search,” says Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer. “People have more ways than ever to access information, and they choose to use Google because it’s helpful. We look forward to showing at trial that promoting and distributing our services is both legal and pro-competitive.”