Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a court victory that resulted in Google violating laws by maintaining illegal monopolies in the digital advertising technology industry.
The U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said that the corporation uses its influence to stifle competition while harming website publishers, advertisers, and consumers.
The company allegedly controlled aspects of online ads, allowing it to extract higher fees from advertisers while paying lower amounts to publishers for their ad space.
The court also found Google liable for unlawfully tying together its publisher ad server and its ad exchange, while imposing policies that reduced advertisement and product quality while increasing prices.
Raoul and a bipartisan coalition of 17 attorneys general joined the Department of Justice to file suit in 2023, with an original promised payout of $700 million.
The second phase of the trial, determining remedies for the company's conduct, is scheduled for a future date.
