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Google Urges Texas Judge to Disregard Virginia Antitrust Ruling

By  |  May 14, 2025

Alphabet’s Google is pushing back against a recent Virginia court ruling that found the company illegally monopolizes the online advertising market, urging a federal judge in Texas not to adopt the same line of reasoning in a separate but related case.

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    According to Reuters, Google filed a motion on Monday asking U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan in Plano to disregard the conclusions reached last month by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. That decision, delivered in April, sided with the U.S. Department of Justice and several states, concluding that Google’s digital advertising practices amounted to an unlawful monopoly.

    Google is currently facing multiple antitrust challenges over its advertising business. The Texas lawsuit, which predates the Virginia case, was brought in 2020 by Texas and several other states. The states accuse Google of anti-competitive behavior and deceptive trade practices in the digital advertising sector.

    In its filing, per Reuters, Google argued that Judge Brinkema’s ruling is “neither preclusive nor persuasive,” emphasizing its intention to appeal the decision. “It is not the task of this court to decide whether the decision of its co-equal court is correct,” Google stated in its submission to the Texas federal court.

    Related: Texas AG Announces $1.375 Billion Deal with Google in Data Privacy Dispute

    Meanwhile, the coalition of states led by Texas countered Google’s stance by highlighting that the Virginia judge had “rejected Google’s key arguments decisively,” according to Reuters.

    Efforts by Google to consolidate both antitrust cases—Texas and Virginia—before a judge in New York were unsuccessful. That New York judge is currently handling other related claims.

    While both lawsuits target Google’s advertising dominance, the Texas case is distinct in that it seeks monetary damages and a jury trial, unlike the DOJ’s case in Virginia. In that Virginia case, Judge Brinkema is expected to begin proceedings in September to determine what remedies may be appropriate to restore fair competition in the ad tech market.

    The Texas case, formally known as State of Texas et al v. Google LLC, is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas under docket number 4:20-cv-00957-SDJ.

    Source: Reuters