US publishers are fighting a move to transfer the Texas antitrust action against Google to California.
The News Media Alliance – which represents 2000 media companies – has submitted a response to the Judicial Panel of Multidistrict Litigation regarding a Google motion to move the case filed by the attorneys general of Texas and 15 other states and territories.
The case, filed by ten states in December, focuses on Google’s dominance in the digital advertising sector, and was joined by other states earlier this year. While the judge in the case previously refused to transfer the case to California, the JPML is yet to make its decision.
The Alliance’s brief opposes the change of venue as the Eastern District of Texas is more centrally located, making the location more accessible to potential witnesses, including news publishers. The current venue also has fewer cases on the docket than its Northern California counterpart, allowing for a timelier resolution of the case.
The Alliance’s response also objects to the consolidation of the Texas case with any other cases, while supporting the consolidation of the “newspaper cases” in the Southern District of New York, a court with a long track record and expertise in cases involving the multibillion-dollar online ad industry.