New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a significant legal victory against tech giant Google, with a federal court ruling that the company illegally maintained monopolies in the digital advertising industry.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found Google liable for stifling competition in online ad technology markets, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. The ruling marks a major milestone in a lawsuit spearheaded by James, the U.S. Department of Justice, and a bipartisan coalition of 17 attorneys general.
“Google’s monopolies allow it to soak up excessive profits, leaving less for the workers and businesses whose livelihoods depend on online advertising,” said Attorney General James. “Today we won a major victory after a court found Google violated the law when it used its power and influence to limit competition.”
The lawsuit, filed in January 2023, accused Google of dominating every part of the digital advertising ecosystem. According to the complaint, Google used its market power to inflate costs for advertisers and underpay publishers—making it harder for content creators to sustain free, high-quality websites.
Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets. The court also found that Google unlawfully tied together its ad services and imposed restrictive practices that suppressed competition and raised prices.
The coalition supporting the suit includes attorneys general from Virginia, California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.
A second phase of the trial will now determine the remedies to address Google’s conduct.
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