Google sends US government unexpected check to avoid jury trial over ads

Google has paid 'preventive' compensation to the US government. The tech giant wants to prevent a lawsuit from the Ministry of Justice from being judged by a jury. It is not known whether the ministry will accept the payment.

Google confirms that it has presented a check to the US government, although the tech giant is not disclosing the amount. This is evident from a court file, which was noted by the Reuters news agency. According to the tech giant, the amount covers 'every dollar that the United States can conceivably hope to receive' during the antitrust case surrounding Google's position in the advertising market. Google denies that it is guilty of the things it is accused of.

By paying preventive damages, Google wants to prevent the lawsuit from being judged by a jury. There must be a claim for damages associated with a jury trial, the tech giant states in the court document. By paying it in advance, this is no longer the case. Sending a check, which according to the tech giant covers damages suffered by excessive online advertising costs, Google says allows it to avoid a jury trial, regardless of whether the government accepts it or not. The case would instead be fought before a professional judge. A Stanford Law School professor tells Reuters he is “skeptical” that Google's effort will succeed. Another legal scholar calls Google's move 'smart', the news agency reports.

The American Justice Department has not yet responded to Google's payment. It is therefore not known whether the ministry plans to accept this. The ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters. Although it is not known what amount Google has transferred, the company told Reuters that “after months of investigation” the US department could only estimate damages “of less than $1 million”.

The US department Justice filed its complaint against Google early last year, together with eight American states. It says that Google has a monopoly position in online advertising and is abusing that position. The government wants, among other things, to force Google to divest Ad Manager and AdX. The case starts in September. For the time being, the case is being judged by a jury, although Google is trying to prevent that.


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