Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has issued a statement following a court decision addressing remedies in the Google search antitrust case. The ruling is intended to restore competition in the online search market and benefit consumers.
Skrmetti commented on the outcome, saying, “Google’s illegal monopoly on search hurt consumers and stifled innovation. Google’s search platform went from the brilliant disruptor that buried its competitors to the bloated husk that decayed over their graves. This led to reduced quality in search and contributed to the abuses of the narrow West Coast monoculture that suppressed conservative views in the 2020 election,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “The Court’s ruling requires Google to provide transparency to advertisers so that consumers have real choices. We continue to review the remedies order and will work to ensure that consumers enjoy the benefit of meaningful competition in search markets. We were glad to help lead a coalition of states fighting alongside Gail Slater’s team at DOJ’s Antitrust Division.”
Tennessee played a leading role as part of a bipartisan group of 38 attorneys general who filed suit against Google in December 2020. The lawsuit alleged that Google maintained its dominance over internet search engines and related advertising through contracts and practices considered anticompetitive. This multistate legal action complemented an earlier federal antitrust lawsuit initiated by the Department of Justice in October 2020.
In August 2024, a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., determined that Google had misused its monopoly power, negatively impacting both consumers and advertisers involved with online searches and text ads. Earlier this year, state attorneys general together with the Justice Department submitted proposed remedies aimed at restoring competition and encouraging innovation within online search markets.
