DOJ, AGs’ Antitrust Case Against Google Could Happen This Week

The Justice Department (DOJ) and state AGs will sue Google as soon as this week for alleged antitrust violations related to online searches, sources told Politico.

The DOJ, which has been probing Google for 16 months, circulated a text of a proposed complaint last week, according to three people with knowledge of the discussion. The complaint could come late this week or just after the Columbus Day holiday, two of the people said. All spoke anonymously to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The DOJ and state prosecutors also spoke Friday afternoon, October 2, to go over the proposed antitrust suit, two of the people said.

The long-expected suit,  the United States’ biggest legal salvo in decades against an alleged corporate monopoly, will accuse the company of abusing its stranglehold on the online search market. The complaint is expected to include claims on Google’s contracts with smartphone manufacturers and Apple to make it the default search engine on mobile devices and touch on other aspects of Google’s search business.

The DOJ and a group of state AGs led by Texas have also been probing Google for potential advertising tech violations, which could lead to a separate complaint in the coming weeks.