Texas Antitrust Trial Against Google Delayed Pending DOJ Case

A trial set for August 11 against Google, led by Texas and joined by 15 other states and Puerto Rico, accusing the company of monopolizing the online display advertising market and seeking over $100 billion in penalties, has been delayed. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan in Plano, Texas, postponed the case to await the outcome of a related antitrust lawsuit in Virginia brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, which recently found Google liable for illegally monopolizing certain digital advertising markets. The Virginia case's ruling is expected to potentially narrow the issues in the Texas lawsuit, promoting judicial economy and avoiding duplicative proceedings. Texas and the other states opposed the delay but will wait for the Virginia judge's remedies trial, scheduled to begin in September, to determine appropriate actions to restore competition. Google denies any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the Virginia ruling. The delay marks the second for the Texas case, initially planned for late March, underscoring the interconnected and complex nature of these antitrust battles over Google’s digital ad technology.