Former Google executives have moved to block U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) subpoenas forcing their live testimony in next month’s advertising technology monopolization trial. These former Google leaders argue that their depositions already provide compelling evidence, so coming in person would be superfluous and an unnecessary burden.
They underscore in a series of filings filed last Friday that they have already spent hours under deposition–both during the initial DOJ investigation and within discovery. They argue that these testimonies should suffice, allowing all of the people living away from Washington D.C. to remain at their respective houses across America.
Christopher LaSala, Google’s former managing director for publisher solutions strategy, now a professor at Columbia Business School, contends the DOJ failed to obtain court permission to subpoena individuals living more than 100 miles from the courthouse, a federal rule mandate.
“The discovery plan doesn’t support national subpoenas, let alone to Mr. LaSala,” his petition says, noting that the court’s discovery plan never provides any specific grounds for demanding national subpoenas. LaSala resides in Connecticut.
