In the ongoing digital ad practices antitrust lawsuit brought by the state of Texas against Alphabet’s Google, a trial lawyer from the Jackson Walker law firm has been designated as a “special master” by U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan. David Moran, the appointed neutral party, will facilitate the resolution of evidence-related disputes in the Plano, Texas case.
Despite Google’s opposition to the appointment of a special master, asserting an absence of immediate necessity and potential complications, Judge Jordan, supported by Texas attorneys, believes Moran’s involvement will expedite proceedings.
Jordan and Moran share a professional history as former partners at Jackson Walker, where they collaborated on various cases. Moran’s compensation, at an undisclosed standard hourly rate, will be shared between Google and Texas. Jackson Walker’s partners have been known to bill between $800 and $1,075 in similar cases.
Although the suggestion of Moran as a special master deviates from the customary choice of former judges, both Google and Texas had proposed alternative candidates. Jordan ultimately endorsed Moran, a choice not met with immediate responses from either party.
Moran, who previously worked on court matters for Google, including an antitrust case in New York, has a diverse legal background. In addition to his involvement in ongoing cases, he is part of a team defending the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones in a federal defamation lawsuit.
Jordan, once a partner at Jackson Walker before joining the bench in 2019, had reported earnings from the firm in 2017 and 2018 during his judicial confirmation process.
The Texas-led antitrust lawsuit is just one of several challenges against Google’s ad tech business. Google continues to deny allegations of antitrust law violations, with the trial scheduled for March 2025 in Jordan’s court.
The case details: State of Texas et al v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 4:20-cv-00957-SDJ. Legal representation includes W. Mark Lanier and Ashley Keller for the plaintiffs, and R. Paul Yetter, Eric Mahr, and Daniel Bitton for the defendant.
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