Judge Rules Google Will Not Face Jury Trial in US Digital Ads Case

WASHINGTON—Alphabet’s Google will not face a jury trial over its alleged digital advertising dominance after the company paid $2.3 million to cover the U.S. government’s claim of monetary damages, a federal judge ruled on Friday. Because non-monetary demands are heard by judges directly in antitrust cases, Google’s payment means that it avoids a jury trial. The company had said it would have been the first-ever jury trial in a civil antitrust case lodged by the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department and a coalition of states sued the tech giant last year, claiming it was unlawfully monopolizing digital advertising and overcharging users. The lawsuit seeks primarily to break up Google’s digital advertising business to allow for more competition....