Judge dismisses Chegg and Penske suits over Google's AI Overviews
US District Judge Amit Mehta wrote that publishers' "expectation" of search traffic "is not an agreement", throwing out two antitrust suits over Google's AI-written search summaries.
A federal judge has dismissed antitrust lawsuits that Chegg and Penske Media, the parent company of Rolling Stone, brought against Google over its AI Overviews search feature, according to The Verge, Engadget and Ars Technica. US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled for Google on Wednesday, The Verge reported.
The suits accused Google of driving readers away from publishers' sites with AI-powered search features, The Verge reported. Engadget described two claims. Google allegedly used AI Overviews to divert readers and revenue by repackaging content. It also allegedly forced sites to supply content for AI use or risk exclusion from search.
Mehta found that neither company showed Google had broken antitrust law or used a search monopoly as leverage, Engadget reported. The outlet quoted his ruling: "Plaintiffs have pleaded only that they have an 'expectation' that Google will send them search traffic if they make their content available for free. But an expectation is not an agreement."
Ars Technica summarised the ruling as acknowledging that AI search has consequences without treating them as an antitrust matter. Engadget noted that Mehta found in 2024 that Google maintained a search monopoly. Its report did not say whether the dismissals are with or without prejudice, or whether either company will appeal.
Engadget said it had asked Penske Media and Chegg for comment and had not heard back at publication. Its report carried no statement from Google. Engadget also noted that publishers can exclude content from AI Overviews while remaining in ordinary search results, though AI features increasingly dominate results pages.