The case originated from two lawsuits filed in 2020 by the DOJ and 38 state attorneys general against Google. While they were initially filed separately, they were mostly consolidated later on. The accusations focused on various instances of anti-competitive behavior by Google, such as allegedly designing its search engine to disadvantage competitors like Yelp, Expedia, and Tripadvisor.
However, Judge Amit Mehta dismissed this particular claim, stating that the government's evidence of anti-competitive harm relied heavily on the opinion and speculation of its expert, law professor Jonathan Baker, rather than concrete evidence. Additionally, Mehta dropped the DOJ's accusations related to Google's agreements with developers and Android phone makers since the government had abandoned those allegations.
Despite these dismissals, certain key arguments against Google still stand. For instance, the government's claims that Google violated antitrust policies by making Google the default search engine on mobile browsers were not dismissed by Judge Mehta. The trial is set to begin on September 12th, and it remains to be seen how the remaining arguments will unfold in court.
In response to the judge's decision, Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs and chief legal officer, expressed appreciation for the court's careful consideration and the dismissal of claims regarding the design of Google Search. He also emphasized Google's intention to demonstrate during the trial that their promotion and distribution of services are both legal and pro-competitive.
