March 22, 2024
A California federal judge said Friday that she will await the U.S. Supreme Court's anticipated decision in SEC v. Jarkesy before deciding whether states' claims in multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design must go to a jury, after the plaintiffs' counsel argued that the case before the high court could implicate tech companies' Seventh Amendment rights.
March 21, 2024
A California federal magistrate judge warned social media companies Thursday that they must disclose relevant executive witnesses in high-stakes multidistrict litigation over social media's allegedly addictive design after plaintiffs' counsel complained that Meta and Snap's CEOs weren't identified in initial disclosures, telling defense counsel "you can't hold them back."
March 18, 2024
A California magistrate judge laid out incentives Monday to spur depositions and document production in multidistrict litigation over social media's allegedly addictive design, rejecting defense counsel's arguments the incentives are "lopsided," and telling Snap's counsel document production is "not as hard as you're saying it is."
March 05, 2024
School districts on Monday urged a California federal judge not to toss their suits in multidistrict litigation alleging that social media giants like Meta Platforms Inc. and Snap Inc. purposefully addict minors, saying that their deliberate targeting of students during the school day created a public nuisance.
February 23, 2024
A California federal judge appeared skeptical Friday of dismissing claims by parents and children seeking to hold Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg liable in sprawling personal injury multidistrict litigation over social media's allegedly addictive design, comparing the addiction allegations to Big Tobacco cases that proceeded past the pleading stage.
February 09, 2024
The California federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation accusing Facebook and other social media platforms of harming young people by purposely making their platforms addictive has set a late 2025 date for the first bellwether trial.
February 06, 2024
Meta, Snap and other social media giants asked a California federal judge Monday to toss claims by schools and local governments over expenses incurred addressing the purported harms to students from the addictive features of their platforms, arguing the claims are barred by the First Amendment and the Communications Decency Act.
January 26, 2024
A California federal judge said Friday she'll likely deny Google, Meta Platforms, TikTok and Snap Inc.'s quick appeal request and their bid to exclude plaintiffs' causation experts early in sprawling multidistrict litigation over social media's mental health impacts, repeatedly telling defense counsel their "entirely premature" requests are a "waste of my time."
January 17, 2024
Plaintiffs in a massive multidistrict litigation against Meta and other social media companies claiming children suffered personal injuries due to the platforms' addictive design argued that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg shouldn't be allowed to escape the litigation as he put "profits over user safety."
January 05, 2024
In a case that has toggled between state and federal court and avoided being rolled into a multidistrict litigation proceeding, Meta Platforms Inc. has been unceremoniously removed from a Connecticut products liability lawsuit against two online platforms and two men convicted of sexually assaulting a minor they met online.