CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined a multi-state lawsuit to sue Google LLC for anticompetitive conduct in violation of federal law.
Morrisey’s office announced the join of the bipartisan collation of 38 attorneys general on Thursday.
The coalition alleges Google illegally maintains monopoly power over general search engines and related advertising markets through a series of anticompetitive exclusionary contracts and conduct, according to a news release
“Big tech must be held accountable to ensure meaningful access to competition,” Morrisey said.
“Corporations have a right to thrive, but they must not do so at the expense of severely and unlawfully limiting consumer choice. Increased competition provides improved privacy protections, more targeted results and greater opportunities.”
West Virginia joined with attorneys general in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, the District of Columbia and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.
The coalition also alleges Google’s monopolistic behaviors deprived consumers of competition that would lead to greater choice, innovation and better privacy protections.
Furthermore, the attorneys general argue Google has exploited its market position to accumulate and leverage data to the detriment of consumers, according to Morrisey’s office.
Officials on the lawsuit said it seeks a court order to halt Google’s illegal conduct and restore competition. The lawsuit and a motion to consolidate with the federal case were filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Today, I’m announcing a lawsuit against Google for its monopolistic search and advertising practices. We are joining dozens of my colleagues in filing this suit.
The days of a free pass for big tech have come to an end. It’s time for more accountability & real competition.
— Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) December 17, 2020