US judge dismisses Chegg and Penske lawsuits over Google AI summaries

Google persuaded a US federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media.[1] The publishers alleged that Google used their content in AI-generated summaries that drew readers away from their websites.[1] They also claimed Google required publishers to accept AI Overviews to remain indexed in Google Search.[1] AI-generated summaries appear at the top of search results and provide an overview of information.[5] The complaint also alleged that answers could reduce click-throughs to original sources, when Google provided links.[6]

Judge Mehta said the publishers pleaded only an expectation of receiving search traffic, not an agreement with Google.[1] The plaintiffs allegedly did not plead an agreement promising them a specific amount of traffic.[3] The court said it would grant the motions to dismiss.[2] The ruling described the situation as simply how a general search engine works.[1] Google denied wrongdoing and argued it had no obligation to index publishers’ content on terms those publishers preferred.[1]

Penske’s complaint alleged that AI Overviews appeared on about 20% of searches linking to its sites and contributed to a one-third drop in affiliate revenue by late 2024.[3] Those figures were allegations in the complaint, not findings stated in the evidence. Penske also alleged that Google’s search dominance was close to 90% and allowed it to avoid paying for content, unlike OpenAI, which had licensing deals with major publishers.[3] The plaintiffs included entities associated with Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.[2] The lawsuits were filed in 2025.[4]

Judge Mehta said he was not unsympathetic to publishers and other online creators whose content Google repurposes without compensation.[1] He also said antitrust law does not replace legislators’ authority to address economic harms caused by innovation.[1] A judge rejected similar claims by a publisher suing Google in March.[1] Separately, the UK had ordered Google to provide an AI opt-out for publishers seeking to remain in organic search results.[4] Chegg and Penske did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Google did not immediately respond either.[1]