Google Must Face Part of Yelp’s Antitrust Search Lawsuit

Google LLC must face parts of a lawsuit from Yelp Inc. alleging the tech giant monopolized the local search services market by giving preference to its own business review products in search results.

Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen largely rejected Google’s argument that Yelp’s lawsuit is barred by the statute of limitations, finding that it is plausible Google achieved its 65% market power in 2020, within the 4-year limitation.

Van Keulen dismissed other parts of the suit relating to Yelp’s claims on Google’s refusal to deal and unlawfully tying products, but gave Yelp an opportunity to amend its complaint.

Yelp’s ...