- Two groups of AGs filed antitrust lawsuits against Google LLC (“Google”).
- A group of seven Republican AGs, led by Texas AG Ken Paxton, sued Google over allegations that it violated the Sherman Act and state antitrust and consumer protection laws by using exclusionary tactics and agreements to monopolize the market in display advertisements to manipulate advertising auctions. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, including structural relief to restore competitive conditions to the market, disgorgement, restitution, civil penalties and fines, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
- Separately, a bipartisan group of 38 AGs, led by Colorado AG Phil Weiser sued Google over allegations that it violated the Sherman Act by engaging in anticompetitive conduct and entering into agreements that harmed competition in general search services, general search text advertising, and general search advertising in the United States. The complaint alleges that Google entered into a number of exclusionary agreements to make its search engine the default search engine on browsers shipped to consumers in exchange for revenue sharing. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, relief to cure and prevent future harms from Google’s alleged anticompetitive conduct, including but not limited to structural divestitures as well as monitorable and measurable conduct remedies, and attorneys’ fees and costs.