A US federal judge has made a ruling on Friday regarding an antitrust lawsuit caused by the US government against Google. 

Google Antitrust Case Shifts to Judge Decision

The decision states that the case will be decided by a judge rather than a jury. This comes after Google has reimbursed the government the full amount of monetary damages that the lawsuit sought.

According to CNN, this particular case involving Google's advertising technology marks the inaugural antitrust lawsuit against a major technology company initiated by the Biden administration. 

The decision made by US District Judge Leonie Brinkema on Friday is seen as a setback for the Justice Department, as they had hoped for a jury trial in this case.

According to the DOJ and multiple states, Google has been accused in the ad-tech case of engaging in anticompetitive behavior by acquiring competitors and pressuring publishers and advertisers to use its own ad technology products.

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Google Antitrust Lawsuit

The Department of Justice and eight states in the US filed an antitrust lawsuit in an effort to dismantle the alleged ad tech monopoly of the search titan.  The Justice Department has filed a damages claim in the lawsuit and has requested a trial by jury. 

According to a report from Reuters, it seems that a jury trial will not be necessary since Google has submitted a copy of a $2.3 million check. The amount will sufficiently cover the government's monetary damages, even accounting for interest if required.

The initial claim made by the US government was for over $100 million in damages in the lawsuit.  However, the Justice Department later requested a sum of money below $1 million while opting for a jury trial.

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