Key facts
- Meta and TikTok's attempt to dismiss thousands of social media addiction lawsuits was rejected by an appeals court.
- The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides a defense to liability, not immunity from suit.
- A trial against Meta, brought by California and other state attorneys general, is scheduled to begin on August 19.
- Meta claimed that the states' demands for damages could exceed $1.4 trillion.
- The court denied Meta's emergency motion to stay the trial pending appeal.
- In a separate case, Meta was ordered by a state-court judge to pay $567 million for youth mental health care.
Meta and TikTok's attempts to have thousands of social media addiction lawsuits dismissed have been rejected by an appeals court, paving the way for a trial to proceed. The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which limits platform liability for third-party content, provides a defense rather than immunity from lawsuits.
A trial against Meta, brought by the California attorney general and other state AGs, is scheduled to begin on August 19, with jury selection starting August 12. Meta had argued that the states' demands for damages could exceed $1.4 trillion and sought to appeal the district court's denial of its motion to dismiss, claiming Section 230 granted them immunity.
The 9th Circuit judges, in a unanimous 3-0 decision, stated that Section 230 does not offer immunity from suit and that interlocutory appeals of such rulings are not permitted. The court also denied Meta's emergency motion to stay the trial. The ruling allows consumer protection claims from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey to move forward.
State attorneys general contend that Meta deceived the public about platform safety and deliberately designed its services to induce compulsive use and increase revenue. The multidistrict litigation consolidates thousands of lawsuits alleging that Meta's platforms, along with those from Google and ByteDance, encourage addictive behavior in minors and fail to safeguard against harmful content.
In a separate development, a state-court judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million for youth mental health care and related services to address the public nuisance created by its platforms.