States Prepare to File Own Antitrust Cases Against Google

More antitrust cases are likely to be filed against Google soon by state attorneys general, even though partisan-tinged wrangling has clouded the path forward. At least two separate though overlapping groups of attorneys general are investigating the company concurrently. One effort, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) focuses on online advertising and could lead to a lawsuit being filed within weeks. Some Democrats have argued to their colleagues that the Justice Department’s focus has been too narrow in its investigation of the online-search business and wanted it to include a broader range of issues. Some Republicans have questioned the sincerity of that claim, suggesting that Democrats may be stalling because they don’t want to support a Republican-led effort ahead of the Nov. 3 election. A second, less-publicized Google probe includes a bipartisan group of attorneys general that includes New York, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. “If we decide to file a complaint, we would file a motion to consolidate our case with the DOJ’s,” these state AGs said. “We would then litigate the consolidated case cooperatively, much as we did in the Microsoft case,” referring to the government antitrust action against the software company two decades ago that was brought jointly by the Justice Department and a number of states.