The headline was that Google will need to face a consumer antitrust lawsuit over its search dominance. But the details in the judge’s decision show something broader. The court signaled that consumers can press an antitrust case even when the alleged harm is not a higher “price” in dollars.
The plaintiffs say they pay with their time, attention and data. They also say a more competitive market could have produced search options with fewer ads, stronger privacy or even rewards for searching. U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin said those theories are plausible enough to move into the next stage of the case.
The case, James Attridge et al. v. Google LLC, is a proposed class action brought by four consumers. The plaintiffs rely heavily on findings of fact from the Justice Department’s 2024 search case, and the judge treated that prior opinion as incorporated into the complaint for purposes of this motion.
The consumers allege Google unlawfully shut out rivals in U.S….
