Over 200 newspapers now involved in quiet lawsuits vs. Google, Facebook – Axios

Newspapers all over the country have been quietly filing antitrust lawsuits against Google and Facebook for the past year, alleging the two firms monopolized the digital ad market for revenue that would otherwise go to local news. 
Why it matters: What started as a small-town effort to take a stand against Big Tech has turned into a national movement, with over 200 newspapers involved across dozens of states.
Catch up quick: As a part of the first lawsuit, Reynolds worked with a coalition of lawyers that has agreed to represent newspapers all over the country looking to file similar lawsuits.
By the numbers: To-date, the group has been retained by over 30 newspaper ownership groups (list) on behalf of over 200 publications to file lawsuits.
The goal of the litigation is "to recover past damages to newspapers" caused by Big Tech companies, says Clayton Fitzsimmons, one of the lawyers representing the newspapers.
Between the lines: "Past damages" in lawsuits like these will vary by paper.
The big picture: The lawsuits were filed after the House Judiciary Committee published its major digital competition report last October, which included a section on newspapers. 
What to watch: All of the lawsuits were consolidated by a judicial panel over the summer in the Southern District of New York.
What's next: There are different ways for the court to handle tackling these lawsuits, says Fitzsimmons. They could select some as bellwethers, test cases for all the individuals claims, or could send some cases back to the states they were filed to be tried.
Go deeper: Full list of newspaper groups and newspapers that filed complaints and/or retained legal services to file an antitrust complaint in the near future.

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