back to article Texas sues Google for 'withholding' documents from antitrust probe

Google is being sued by the Texas Attorney General's office in the US, because - it has been alleged - the search giant "withheld" documents from a competition investigation of the company. Texas AG Greg Abbott said in a state court filing that a "large volume" of paperwork had been sat on by Google, which claimed attorney- …

COMMENTS

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  1. g e
    Meh

    "which claimed attorney-client privilege"

    Which surely would also have been the time to decide whether or not that was a valid argument.

    If you don't have to fork over stuff then don't.

    Can someone give Texas their dolly back, it seems to have fallen out of the pram.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "which claimed attorney-client privilege"

      It goes like this:

      "Hand over this big list of documents please."

      "Here are half of them."

      "Where's the other half?"

      "Client-attorney privilege, we don't have to hand them over."

      "Was it sent to an attorney, or was it legal advice?"

      "No, but we wrote 'client attorney privilege' at the top of the email!"

      "Not good enough. Hand them over."

      "No! Make me!"

      "Ok, see you in court."

      From what I've read elsewhere, that's pretty much exactly what happened. Emails between senior google execs, not discussing legal advice, and not sent to any legal representatives, but with "client attorney privilege" written at the top so they don't have to disclose it to anyone. The court will likely disagree, just like they did with the famous 'Lindholm email" where google also tried this particular routine :)

      1. ratfox
        Meh

        Re: "which claimed attorney-client privilege"

        Meh… I guess it is fairly easy to always have a lawyer in CC of every email… a bit like some companies systematically have a disclaimer in the signature, "in no way represents the official opinion of, blah blah…"

        There is something wrong with the system when the simple presence of a lawyer changes so much.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Don't be evil?

  2. Tom 38
    Joke

    The problem was they shared them on Google Docs, so no-one could find the doc they were looking for.

  3. Jon Press

    Texas withold'em...

    ... must be a variant of the original game in which all the cards remain face down and the dealer bets on not getting sued.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Google thinking they're above the law

    "In a quasi-Orwellian moment, a Google executive said that shareholders at the meeting could vote on this and the other proposals if they wanted, but that they had already been defeated."

    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/at-googles-annual-meeting-silence-from-larry-page/

    Thye pull stuff like this and then go around talking about democracy and openness? Fuck them.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Google thinking they're above the law

      Do no evil.

      Yeah right.

      1. Jan Hargreaves

        Re: Google thinking they're above the law

        mate... it's:

        Do Know Evil

  5. ItsNotMe
    FAIL

    And I am sure...

    ...Google are quaking in their collective Wellies with the possibility of ANOTHER USD$25k fine looming over their collective heads for stonewalling an investigation.

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Re: And I am sure...

      Hmm, don't know. IANAL, but this could actually have criminal law implications.

  6. Philip Lewis
    Big Brother

    Evil is as Evil does

  7. asdf
    FAIL

    Texas leading the way

    Funny now that Texas is billions in the hole like Liberalfornia they make fun of, how desperate they are to go after companies. Cheap gas and lower oil prices are making Perry not look like the fiscal "genius" he has been made out to be.

    1. asdf

      Re: Texas leading the way

      Ooops.

    2. ItsNotMe
      FAIL

      Re: Texas leading the way

      Sure is...to the 18th century.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    without prejudice

  9. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Google is run by arseholes?

    Just wait till your gmail account goes tits up and then watch how much bullshit they try on...

    The worst of it is that it's preprogrammed stone walling, game playing, bullshit - never a human being in sight.

    "Oh what? Now your telling me that I have to hand over my credit card details.... but ummmm you already have my phone number to send the pass word out too? - so why are you not doing THAT? - arseholes."

    See you in court myself... Google.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No guesses for just who's behind this?

    Texas Attorney General Investigating Google’s Rank System

    "Google said on its website that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked for information about complaints from a number of companies. Google mentioned websites operated by Foundem, TradeComet and myTriggers as sites that challenged its results".

    Texas probing Google on antitrust matters

    "Microsoft said Friday that it was not involved in a campaign to attack Google in the courtroom, but that it was a member of Competitive Online Marketplace, an organization that includes Foundem. Microsoft also said attorneys who have worked with the company have also represented myTriggers and TradeComet".

  11. Gannon (J.) Dick
    Headmaster

    Actually ...

    ... kind of proud of Texas this go-around.

    They managed to see through the "In matters of Law, you just don't know how things are done in the Electronics Industry" BS

  12. JaitcH
    FAIL

    It's the election, stupid

    Perry, the brainless fool who had a go running for the presidency, has big problems.

    He's sold off State assets and his books are still in a mess.

    He's allowed all the Frackers to have their way - the State Railroad Commission looks after most of the fracking licences.

    Fracking has a small problem, poisonous well waste water. Got all the junk they pump in plus benzene. So they drill yet more wells and pump this poisonous soup down these holes at extreme pressures, way above the ability of the ground to absorb this junk. so it being fluid does it's own thing and starts popping out of farmers water wells and long abandoned wells.

    So Perry has a problem. So what better solution than to sue Google? All the newspapers ooh and aah over Google and the Fracking poisons loose their coverage.

    Simple.

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