Google sends DOJ unexpected check in attempt to avoid monopoly jury trial

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Last week, Google sent a cashier’s check to the US government that it claimed in a court filing covers “every dollar the United States could conceivably hope to recover” in damages during the Google adtech monopoly trial scheduled to start this September.

According to Google, sending the check moots the government’s sole claim for damages, which in turn foils the government’s plan to seek a jury trial under its damages claim. While Google disputes liability for any of the government’s claims, the payment serves to “prevent the tail from wagging the dog,” the court filing said.

It’s unclear just how big the check was. The court filing redacted key figures to protect Google’s trade secrets. But Google claimed that testimony from US experts “shrank” the damages estimate “considerably” from initial estimates between $100 million and $300 million, suggesting that the current damages estimate is “substantially less” than what the US has paid so far in expert fees to reach those estimates.