Google’s $2.3 million check helped the company get a trial in front of a judge instead of a jury

An antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department and eight states seeking to break up Google’s alleged monopoly on ad technology will be heard by a judge this fall, as the company prefers. Government lawyers had included a claim for damages in their lawsuit and pursued a jury trial. Jury trials can be unpredictable, like Epic’s courtroom win over Google last year, legal expert says the edge And if the government succeeds, it could increase the likelihood that Google will settle the case.

but Reuters Reports That won’t happen after the company provided a copy of a $2.3 million cashier’s check — without admitting any liability or wrongdoing — which it said would be enough to cover three times the financial damages sought by the government, if necessary, plus interest.

Now that U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema has ruled on the matter, she has scheduled a trial for September 9 to hear arguments from both sides. Meanwhile, the Justice Department and Google continue to await a ruling on their big search antitrust standoff after filing closing arguments nearly a month ago.