AG Ferguson files federal antitrust lawsuit against technology giant Google

Attorney General Bob Ferguson partnered with a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general to file a federal antitrust lawsuit against Google.

The lawsuit asserts that the technology giant illegally leverages its dominance in the online search and search advertising markets to stifle competing platforms, drive advertisers away from rival search engines, and limit competing specialized sellers’ ability to bring customers directly to their sites from general Google search results.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserts that Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc. used exclusionary contracts and unlawful self-preferencing business practices to protect its monopoly, harming consumers, undermining competition and squelching innovation that could threaten its dominance in the market for general internet search and related search advertising.

“Corporations that form illegal monopolies cripple competition and harm individual consumers,” Ferguson said. “We will continue holding powerful interests accountable when they engage in unfair, anticompetitive conduct that harms Washingtonians.”

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