Google is facing a new multi-state antitrust lawsuit in the US that accuses the tech giant of abusing its market power to stifle competitors. The lawsuit, filed by a coalition of 37 attorneys general co-led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleged that Google is forcing consumers into in-app payments that grant the company a hefty cut, reports TechCrunch. Google was yet to comment on the fresh lawsuit.

"Through its illegal conduct, the company has ensured that hundreds of millions of Android users turn to Google, and only Google, for the millions of applications they may choose to download to their phones and tablets," James said in a statement late on Wednesday. "Worse yet, Google is squeezing the lifeblood out of millions of small businesses that are only seeking to compete," James added. The bipartisan coalition of states allege that Google uses "misleading" security warnings to keep consumers and developers within its walled app garden, the Google Play store.