The Texas attorney general’s office has hired three lawyers for a major anti-trust investigation into Google, two of whom have ties to some of Google’s main competitors.
Eugene Burrus, who was formerly assistant general counsel at Microsoft, was hired by Texas from May 29 through August 31, according to records obtained by Reuters.
Another of the lawyers, Cristina Caffarra, is an economist with consultancy group Charles River Associates, where she manages the European competition team. Her contract extends to August 31, 2021, with a maximum fee of $0.
The Charles River website indicates that Caffarra has previously represented News Corp, Microsoft and Amazon regarding anti-trust matters. Microsoft and Amazon are two of Google’s main rivals, while News Corp has also been critical of the search-engine giant.
The third lawyer is Roger Alford, a veteran of the Justice Department and currently professor of law at the University of Notre Dame.
Texas’ probe is part of a larger anti-trust investigation into Google led by the attorneys general of 48 states, with the additions of Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The Federal Trade Commission and several states, led by the attorney general of New York, have also begun anti-trust investigations into Facebook.