Apple can take a break from the US Department of Justice’s antitrust suit against it, as the US District Court for the District of New Jersey has ruled that discovery in the lawsuit is being put on temporary pause, thanks to the US government shutdown.
The US government was officially shutdown on October 1, putting a temporary pause on several government services, until a new funding bill can be agreed upon.
This has proven to be beneficial to Apple, as it mean the discovery portion of its legal battle with the US DoJ is being put on hold until the budget is resolved.
On October 2, the DoJ requested a stay in its discovery into Apple over the ongoing lawsuit. The filing was requested “due to the lapse of Congressional appropriations,” resulting in the temporary furloughs of DoJ attorneys.
Apple did not raise any objections to the stay request.
The court agreed to the stay, ruling that any pending motions or deadline would be “administratively terminated,” until funding is restored and Department of Justice attorneys are once again employed.
The court did specify that the case is merely on hold, not dismissed. Discovery will resume once the government’s legal eagles submit a request to lift the stay.
While discovery is paused, Apple will not be required to fulfill any demands for information related to the antitrust lawsuit.
Apple is accused by the United States Department of Justice of monopolistic practices in its App Store, iPhone, and other businesses.
No one can say how long Apple’s reprieve from discovery will last, as government shutdowns have previously lasted for anywhere from a few days to several weeks.
