The Google logo is outside if it has its offices in New York City, which was closed on May 19, 2020 due to the coronavirus infection.
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A lawsuit against the Justice Department ‘s trust against Google is unlikely to go to court until the end of 2023, Judge Amit Mehta said at a status hearing on Friday.
Both parties agreed that it was a similar timeline and the judge set September 12, 2023, as a promising date for the trial to begin.
The proposed timeline shows how long Google (and possibly Facebook) will fight challenges against trust from the U.S. government. Google is now facing three lawsuits from various state agencies and the DOJ, some of which could be upheld before a single judge.
That means both that an investigation into Google ‘s business is likely to remain under scrutiny for several years, and that any changes that the court may order would also take a long time. In the short term, that is good news for investors, who do not have to worry about immediate structural changes that could hurt the value of the company, such as the output of major business units. But it also means that Google will be very concerned, and may be skeptical about entering new business domains and acquiring large holdings, for years to come.
Mehta had previously indicated at status hearings that he wants to keep the case fast. But the proposed timetable shows that even a relatively quick process can take years. A lawyer for the DOJ thought the trial could last between ten and 12 weeks, although a lawyer for Google said he expected it to take much less time to accept that The case to court. Mehta said he was setting the “over / under line” at five and a half weeks.
COMMENT: How U.S. trust law works, and what it means for Big Tech