Marriott Files Emergency Motion to Delay Keyword Antitrust Trial

Marriott International Inc. sought Monday to delay an antitrust trial set to start Oct. 25 over claims that the top U.S. hotels rigged online search advertising auctions, asking a federal judge in Texas for more time to challenge a magistrate’s “radical break from precedent.”

The hotel chain filed an emergency motion urging Judge Robert W. Schroeder III to review a ruling by Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven, saying the Oct. 15 decision is the first ever to apply the “per se” antitrust framework in the context of online advertising auctions. The ruling remains under court seal.

The only federal appeals court ...