Google Requests Non-Jury Trial in Antitrust Case

In a court filing on Thursday, Alphabet’s Google requested a non-jury trial in the US Justice Department’s lawsuit against the company for alleged anticompetitive practices in the online advertising market.

The Justice Department, which filed the advertising lawsuit in January 2023, alleged the company has abused its dominance of the digital advertising business and argued that it should be forced to sell its ad management suite.

Google said the Justice Department’s request for a jury trial breaks “with all historical precedent” and noted the department itself has said the technical nature might be difficult for a prospective juror to understand.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google’s online advertising network, which includes ad manager, brought in 12% of the company’s revenue in 2021 and also plays a vital role in the search engine and cloud company’s overall sales.

Google has said the Justice Department’s case went “beyond the boundaries of antitrust law,” saying it does not regulate the internet company’s conduct at issue.

Reuters