02:35 PM EDT, 06/07/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Google's ( GOOG ) response in the fifth paragraph.)
Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) will face a bench trial instead of a jury trial in the antitrust case filed by the US Justice Department after the company issued a $2.3 million check to the federal government, multiple news outlets reported Friday.
US District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that the payment satisfied the damages alleged by eight federal agencies, eliminating the need for a jury, Bloomberg said.
"A fair reading of the expert reports does not support" a higher amount, Brinkema said after a hearing on Friday, according to Bloomberg. Brinkema will oversee the trial, set to begin in September, the report said.
The case, filed by the Justice Department in 2023, alleges that Google ( GOOG ) monopolized the digital advertising market and overcharged the federal government for the ads it bought online between 2019 and 2023, according to the report.
"We're glad the court ruled that this case will be tried by a judge," a Google ( GOOG ) spokesperson told MT Newswires, looking forward to making their case.
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