By Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alphabet's (NASDAQ:) Google will not face a jury trial for its alleged dominance in digital advertising after the company wrote a check to the United States to cover monetary damages, a federal judge ruled on Friday.
The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states sued the tech giant last year, alleging it was illegally monopolizing digital advertising and overcharging users. The jury trial would have been the first in a civil antitrust case brought by the Justice Department, Google said.
Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, means Google will face a bench trial in the lawsuit, which primarily seeks to break up its digital advertising business to allow for greater competition.
Google confirmed that Brinkema, who had previously scheduled a jury trial for September, had issued the ruling during a court hearing, but declined to comment further on Friday.
The company denied wrongdoing and said it did not admit liability by submitting a damages award.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Google said last month that the government, which had initially claimed more than $100 million in damages, was unable to prove more than $1 million in damages and issued a check to cover the amount. The final amount has not been revealed.
Google had accused the federal government of fabricating its claim for monetary damages to ensure a jury trial, since non-monetary claims are heard directly by judges in antitrust cases.
The Justice Department responded that it was willing to settle the monetary damages portion of its case, but only if Google issued a larger check.
“Google has fought hard to keep its anticompetitive conduct hidden from public view,” the government told Brinkema last month.
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