Google, Apple Prevail in Search Engine Collusion Antitrust Suit

Google Inc. and Apple Inc. won a bid to toss most claims in a private antitrust case accusing the tech titans of an unlawful deal that thwarted competition in the search advertising market.

Judge P. Casey Pitts of the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday granted the tech companies’ motion to dismiss antitrust claims, saying the plaintiff’s second amended complaint failed to provide direct evidence of purported noncompete agreements between Google and Apple.

The plaintiff, California Crane School Inc., alleged in a proposed class action in 2021 that an unlawful deal between the two companies ...