Yes. Yelp sued Google in federal court on August 28, 2024, alleging that Google used its general-search dominance to favor its own local-search products and advertising over rivals. The case remains active. Yelp’s significant June 30, 2026 win was limited: the court accepted findings that Google had monopoly power in U.S. general search through August 5, 2024, but it has not ruled that Google unlawfully monopolized local search or that Yelp is entitled to damages or an injunction.
What Yelp filed—and where the case stands
Yelp Inc. sued Google LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The case is Yelp Inc. v. Google LLC, No. 5:24-cv-06101-SVK. Yelp filed its original complaint on August 28, 2024, and filed an amended complaint on May 14, 2025. The court’s case page provides access to the docket; Yelp also maintains a case-materials page.
The lawsuit is a private antitrust case, not a complaint about a particular Yelp page appearing too low in a search. Yelp’s theory is that Google controls an important gateway—general search—and uses that position to disadvantage competing local-search services. The allegations are Yelp’s claims, not findings about every challenged practice.
What Yelp says Google did
Yelp describes Google’s conduct as self-preferencing. In practical terms, a person searching for a nearby restaurant might see Google-controlled local results, maps, reviews, or other local features prominently on the results page, while Yelp and other independent services appear lower in the ordinary list of links. Yelp alleges that this design steers users toward Google’s local-search offerings and away from rivals.
#1 Best Overall
- Attention-grabbing design meets the latest evolution of the Google Pixel Camera on the new Google Pixel 11 Pro; Gemini Intelligence helps manage details so you can live in the moment[1]; and the phone is available in two sizes
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan: Works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers[2]
- Stay informed without looking at your screen: When your phone is face down, Pixel HiLight gently alerts you with subtle glowing lights when your favorite contacts are calling or you’re talking with Gemini; exclusive to Google Pixel 11 Pro phones
- Magic Capture catches the moment as you live it: With just one tap, Pixel 11 Pro captures video and photos, and automatically edits, crops, and unblurs a curated collection, ready to share – and you get the memory of how it felt to be in the moment
- Two new cameras for more brilliant photos: A larger telephoto sensor captures 30% more light for clear, beautiful photos and videos, even in the dark[3]; Pixel’s longest zoom ever helps you capture details from impressive distances[4]
According to the original complaint, the alleged effects include diverted traffic and revenue, reduced opportunity for competitors to grow, and increased costs for rivals. Yelp also says Google leveraged its position in general search to gain or maintain power in local search and local-search advertising. These alleged effects—and whether Google’s design is exclusionary rather than legitimate product competition—remain to be proved.
The distinction matters: the claim is not that Google took Yelp’s reviews or that any unfavorable ranking is automatically unlawful. It concerns the way a dominant search platform presents its own local products alongside competing services, and whether that conduct excludes competition in violation of antitrust law.
Which markets and legal theories are involved?
Market definition helps determine whether a company has the market power necessary for particular antitrust claims. Yelp’s case involves several connected but distinct areas:
Rank #2
- Google Pixel 10a is a durable, everyday phone with more[1]; snap brilliant photography on a simple, powerful camera, get 30+ hours out of a full charge[2], and do more with helpful AI like Gemini[3]
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan; it works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Pixel 10a is sleek and durable, with a super smooth finish, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 7i display, and IP68 water and dust protection[4]
- The Actua display with 3,000-nit peak brightness shows up clear as day, even in direct sunlight[5]
- Plan, create, and get more done with help from Gemini, your built-in AI assistant[3]; have it screen spam calls while you focus[6]; chat with Gemini to brainstorm your meal plan[7], or bring your ideas to life with Nano Banana[8]
- General search: Google Search, the broad search service that Yelp says serves as a gateway to local information.
- Local search: Services and features people use to find local businesses, including Google-controlled offerings and competing services such as Yelp.
- Local-search advertising: Advertising connected to local search, which Yelp says is also affected by Google’s conduct.
Yelp’s pleadings have included claims under the federal Sherman Act and California law. The theories include monopolization or attempted monopolization in local search and local-search advertising, tying general search to local search, monopoly leveraging, refusal-to-deal-related theories, and a claim under California’s Unfair Competition Law. Google’s motion to dismiss described the original complaint as containing seven counts. The live claims have since been addressed in an amended complaint, so the original count labels should not be treated as a complete description of the case today.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Those legal labels do not decide the case. Yelp still has to establish the elements of its surviving claims, including the relevant market and the alleged exclusionary conduct and harm. A finding that a company has monopoly power is not by itself a finding that it unlawfully acquired or maintained that power.
Google’s response and the disputed questions
Google has argued that Yelp is recasting disagreements over search-result design as an antitrust violation. In its dismissal motion, Google said its specialized-results architecture began in 2007 and characterized the challenged presentation as product design, not unlawful exclusion. Google’s broader public position emphasizes competition through product quality and innovation, a changing search environment that includes AI, and the existence of other ways for consumers to reach services such as Yelp. Those are Google’s arguments, not findings adopted in full by the court.
The central dispute is whether Google’s presentation of local results is a legitimate product choice or an exclusionary use of market power. The court will also have to consider what local-search and local-advertising markets are appropriate, whether Yelp can show that Google’s conduct caused measurable harm, and what the market would look like in the absence of the challenged conduct. Yelp’s requested relief and Google’s defenses remain contested.
What the court has decided so far
| Date | Ruling or filing | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2025 | The court allowed Yelp’s core claims to proceed after Google’s initial motion to dismiss. | The claims were legally plausible at the pleading stage; Yelp had not proved them. |
| May 14, 2025 | Yelp filed an amended complaint. | The amended pleading added factual allegations and legal analysis. |
| October 22, 2025 | The court denied Google’s partial motion to dismiss the amended complaint. | The amended claims could proceed at that stage, not that Google was liable. |
| June 30, 2026 | The court granted Yelp partial summary judgment on limited general-search issues and denied the motion in other respects. | The ruling resolved a narrow issue about the general-search market and Google’s market power; substantial questions remain. |
In the June 30, 2026 order, the court gave preclusive effect to findings from the separate government search case that U.S. general-search services constituted a relevant antitrust market through August 5, 2024, and that Google had monopoly power in that market from 2009 through August 5, 2024. The court did not decide that Google unlawfully monopolized local search, that each challenged practice violated antitrust law, or that Yelp proved causation or damages. It denied Yelp’s motion in all other respects. Read the June 30 order for the scope of the ruling.
Recommended Free Tools
How this differs from the government’s Google case
The cases are separate. United States et al. v. Google was a public enforcement action focused on Google’s alleged monopolization of general search and search advertising, including distribution and default agreements. Yelp’s private case focuses on alleged self-preferencing and exclusion in local search and local-search advertising.
Rank #4
- Google Pixel 10 Pro is the ultimate Pixel experience, featuring advanced AI with Gemini, unbelievable camera quality, impeccable design in two sizes, and the next-gen Google Tensor G5 chip[1]
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan[2]; it works - Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Get a head start on syncing your data before it even arrives: After you purchase your new Pixel, look for an email that explains how to transfer your photos, videos, passwords, and more in just a few quick steps[11]
- Pixel’s pro camera system makes everything look amazing, even in low light; capture more of the scene with advanced Google AI models, and bring out incredible details with 100x Pro Res Zoom, stunning 50 MP images, and super steady videos in 8K[10]
- Pixel 10 Pro is built with durable aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for scratch and drop resistance; the 6.3-inch Super Actua display with 3,300-nit peak brightness is easy on the eyes, even in direct sunlight[3,13,18]
The government case matters because some of its findings informed Yelp’s limited summary-judgment win. It does not automatically establish Yelp’s separate claims about local search, the effects on Yelp, or the appropriate remedy. The Justice Department case page and its remedies announcement describe that proceeding. Google has said it is appealing the search-distribution ruling; its position is set out in a public statement.
European proceedings offer context but are not a substitute for deciding the U.S. case. The European Commission’s Google Shopping matter and its Digital Markets Act enforcement involve distinct legal rules, products, findings, and remedies. They do not establish liability in Yelp’s lawsuit. See the EU case materials and the Commission’s DMA announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens next—and when could it end?
The case remains in discovery and pretrial proceedings. The parties have reported that producing and analyzing complex data requires additional time; the June 22, 2026 scheduling order addresses the case schedule. A possible May 15, 2028 trial date appeared in one proposal, while Google sought a trial no earlier than September 2028. These are competing schedule positions, not a settled prediction that trial will begin on a particular date. The scheduling order and later docket entries control the operative deadlines.
Best Value
- Google Pixel 7 is powered by Google Tensor G2; it’s faster, more efficient, and more secure, with the best photo and video quality yet on Pixel[1].Other camera description:Front,Rear.Bluetooth Version 5.2 with dual antennas for enhanced quality and connection.
- Unlocked Android 5G phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan[2]; works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Pixel’s Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours; when Extreme Battery Saver is turned on, it can last up to 72 hours[3]
- The 6.3-inch Pixel 7 display is super sharp, with rich, vivid colors; it’s fast and responsive for smoother gaming, scrolling, and moving between apps[4]
- Google Pixel 7 has wide and ultrawide lenses with up to 8x Super Res Zoom[5]; and Cinematic Blur brings more drama to your videos
Before any trial, the parties may continue discovery, present expert evidence, and pursue further dispositive motions. Settlement or schedule changes are also possible. Yelp’s public announcement says it seeks damages and an end to the practices it challenges, among other aims, but the June 2026 ruling did not award damages or impose an injunction. Any relief would depend on later proceedings or an agreement.
Why local businesses and consumers may care
If Yelp’s theory is ultimately established, the case could affect how people discover independent local-search services and how businesses compete for visibility, reviews, leads, and advertising. A business may rely on Google Search, Maps, Google Business Profile, Yelp, and paid local advertising in different ways; the importance of any one channel varies by business and customer. Changes in result presentation could affect referrals and advertising economics, but the case has not yet established those effects as facts.
For consumers, the dispute raises a practical question: do search results make it easy to compare useful local information from multiple services, or do they steer attention toward the search engine’s own products? A court judgment, if one comes, would address the legal claims and evidence in this case. It would not necessarily mean an immediate change to every ranking or local result a user sees.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →
