California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside a coalition led by the U.S. Department of Justice, won a court ruling allowing a lawsuit against Google for antitrust violations to proceed.
The lawsuit accuses Google of operating an unfair monopoly scheme in markets for advertising technology, which disproportionately harms advertisers, small businesses, website creators and consumers and deters innovation in the ad tech industry, according to an April 28 news release.
"We are pleased with the court's decision to move this case forward so that Google may face accountability," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in the release. “Google’s anti-competitive practices and obsessive need for control of ad tech markets has not only inflated prices, but has stifled creativity in a space where innovation is crucial."
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia rejected Google's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Bonta has been involved in several cases against Google and has remained resolute in protecting competition in the marketplace, fair prices and California families through various actions nationwide involving technology companies, the release reported.
"Poised to become the fourth largest economy in the world, it is in California’s best interest to ensure that creativity, innovation and competition in technology are protected. We look forward to making our case in court on behalf of California consumers,” Bonta added, according to the release.
"Attorney General Bonta stands firm in protecting competition in the marketplace, fair prices and California families through a number of actions nationwide involving companies in the technology industry," the news release said.
Bonta sued Amazon in 2022, alleging anti-competitive contracting practices that violated California Unfair Competition Law, the news release reported.
"The court recently denied Amazon’s motion to dismiss the case and unsealed additional evidence of antitrust violations," the release said.
In another case involving Apple, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, "upheld California’s role in enforcing fair competition laws, aligning with Attorney General Bonta’s brief filed in March 2023 urging the court to recognize broad protections for fair competition under California's Unfair Competition Law," the news release said.
