In a landmark decision, Alphabet Inc.’s Google is set to face trial over allegations of monopolizing the digital advertising market, following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia.
The ruling, delivered on Friday, denied Google’s motion to dismiss the case without a trial. Google had contended that antitrust laws do not prevent a company from refusing to deal with competitors and that the regulators had not properly defined the ad tech market. The court papers, however, did not disclose Judge Brinkema’s reasoning for the decision.
The trial is scheduled to commence on September 9. A Google spokesperson expressed optimism, stating, “We look forward to setting the record straight.” The Justice Department declined to comment.
The lawsuit, initiated last year by the Justice Department and a coalition of states, accuses Google of unlawfully monopolizing the digital advertising sector and inflating prices for users. The primary aim of the lawsuit is to dismantle Google’s digital advertising operations to foster market competition.
In a related decision, Judge Brinkema ruled to exclude testimony from a former FBI agent, who served as a cybersecurity consultant for Google, as an expert witness in the trial.
Despite this setback, Google scored a procedural win last week when the judge decided that the trial would proceed without a jury, following a settlement of claims that Google’s actions had harmed the U.S. government.
