Three Additional States Ask Court To Join Justice Department Antitrust Suit Against Google

Today, the Attorneys General of Michigan and Wisconsin filed for permission to join the antitrust lawsuit filed by the United States and eleven other state Attorneys General against monopolist Google. This follows a similar recent motion by the California Attorney General to join the lawsuit on December 11, 2020.

“We welcome the efforts by the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and California to join the Justice Department’s complaint,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen.  “Their proposed joinder, along with the separate complaint filed today by a coalition of state Attorneys General, underscores the broad and bipartisan consensus that Google’s practices in search and search advertising need antitrust redress.  These antitrust actions aim to open the door to the next wave of innovation in digital markets.”

“We look forward to litigating alongside our state partners for the benefit of American consumers,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Alexander Okuliar of the Antitrust Division.

In addition, today, a coalition of State Attorneys General filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in the District of Columbia also alleging that Google unlawfully maintained monopolies in search and search advertising.  These States have asked the court to consolidate the proceedings in their lawsuit with the United States’ pending antitrust case against Google.

The motions for joinder and for consolidation submitted by the States are currently pending.