Following the August 5, 2024, decision in United States v. Google where the D.C. District Court found Google to be a monopolist, Judge Amit Mehta issued what would end up being the first remedies opinion on September 2, 2025. The decision establishes a six-year framework designed to promote competition in the general search engine market. 

While Google’s strategy eliminated the short-term risk of a potentially volatile jury, it exposed the company to a devastating, long-term issue preclusion risk. This article explains why Google’s bench-trial gamble backfired, and what antitrust defendants can learn from it.