Court finds Google maintains illegal monopolies in digital advertising

Ruling that Google stifles competition and harms publishers, advertisers, and consumers is major victory in bipartisan lawsuit AG Ellison joined in 2023

Second phase of trial to determine remedies, penalties to begin later

April 17, 2025 (SAINT PAUL)  — Minnesota Attorney General Ellison today announced a major victory after the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia found that Google has violated the law by maintaining illegal monopolies in the digital advertising technology industry, stifling competition and harming website publishers, advertisers, and consumers. In April 2023, Attorney General Ellison joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general and the Department of Justice in suing to stop Google’s anticompetitive conduct that threatens markets in the online advertising industry. 

“One of the major drivers of the high cost of living and one of the major drags on economic growth is monopolistic behavior by corporations. I’m very pleased that today, the court agreed with our case that Google has hurt consumers, advertisers, and publishers by monopolizing digital advertising technology. Fighting for a fair economy for consumers and businesses both by fighting monopolistic behavior has been — and will continue to be — one of my top priorities at Attorney General,” Attorney General Ellison said.

In the lawsuit Attorney General Ellison, the bipartisan coalition, and DOJ filed, they allege Google’s market power allows it to control nearly every aspect of online ad sales, allowing it to extract higher fees from advertisers while paying lower amounts to publishers for their ad space. This conduct hurts consumers and web publishers by making it harder for websites to make enough money on their advertising inventory, preventing them from offering internet users content for free, without subscriptions, paywalls, or alternative forms of monetization.

Today’s decision, issued by Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, found Google liable for violating antitrust law by acquiring and maintaining monopolies in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising. The judge also found Google liable for unlawfully tying together its publisher ad server and its ad exchange and that Google harmed competition, its own customers, and Internet users by imposing anticompetitive policies that reduced quality and increased prices.

A second phase of the trial to determine remedies or penalties for Google’s conduct will take place at a later date.

The bipartisan lawsuit Attorney General joined is led by the attorneys general of New York, California, and Virginia and the U.S. Department of Justice. Also joining it is a bipartisan coalition of the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

Attorney General Ellison encourages Minnesota consumers and businesses with concerns about antitrust issues to submit a report online via the Antitrust Report Form. Consumers may also call the Attorney General’s Office at (651) 296-3353 (Metro area), (800) 657-3787 (Greater Minnesota), or (800) 627-3529 (Minnesota Relay).