By Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ:) will not face a jury trial over its alleged dominance in digital advertising after the company paid $2.3 million to settle the U.S. government’s claim for monetary damages cover, a federal judge ruled on Friday.
Because non-monetary claims are heard directly by judges in antitrust cases, Google’s payment means Google avoids a jury trial. The company had said this would have been the first-ever jury trial in a civil antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states sued the tech giant last year, claiming it unlawfully monopolized digital advertising and overcharged users. The lawsuit primarily aims to break up Google’s digital advertising business to allow for more competition.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, issued the ruling Friday and scheduled the non-jury trial for Sept. 9, when she will hear arguments to decide the case directly.
Google has denied wrongdoing and said it did not admit liability in filing for damages. “DOJ’s contrived damages claim has fallen apart,” the company said in a statement Friday, calling the case a “meritless attempt to pick winners and losers in a highly competitive industry.”
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Google said last month that the government, which initially sought more than $100 million in damages, had asked for less than $1 million in damages. Google’s $2.3 million checking accounts for interest and potential for damages could be tripled under U.S. antitrust law.
Google had accused the federal government of fabricating its claim for monetary damages to guarantee a jury trial.
The Justice Department responded that it was open to resolving the monetary damages portion of its case, but only if Google cut a larger check.
“Google has fought hard to keep its anti-competitive behavior out of public view,” the government told Brinkema last month.
