Google makes bid to move Texas monopoly case to California

The company is battling three government claims of abuse of monopoly power.

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Google is seen on a building at La Defense business and financial district in Courbevoie near Paris, France, September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo (REUTERS)

Alphabet Inc.'s Google asked that an antitrust lawsuit filed in Texas by more than a dozen state attorneys general be moved to California, where the company is based.

A Google lawyer told U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan on Thursday during a hearing in Plano, Texas, that the case has no special connection to Texas and mirrors claims in lawsuits already filed in California.

The company is battling three government claims of abuse of monopoly power. Google's search business was targeted in separate lawsuits filed by the U.S. Justice Department and a group of states. The complaint in Texas focuses on digital advertising.

Google lawyer Eric Mahr told the judge that similar suits in Texas and California could result in conflicting court decisions, and that the states had chosen Texas as a venue for their case because the court there has a track record of moving to trial quickly.

“The dangers of rushing a case like this are great,” Mahr said during the hearing.

Ashley Keller, a lawyer for the states, argued that the Texas court was the appropriate venue because there are publishers, advertisers and consumers in the state affected by Google's advertising business. He also acknowledged the states want to get to trial quickly because Google is engaging in harmful conduct “every nanosecond of every day.”

Jordan didn't immediately rule on Google's request.