Meta, Snap settle social media addiction lawsuits ahead of Los Angeles trial

Meta lawsuit overview:

• Who: Meta Platforms Inc. and Snap Inc. settled with two plaintiffs who claimed social media platforms harmed their mental health as minors.
• Why: The settlements ended the second Los Angeles bellwether trial before opening statements began.
• Where: The social media addiction trial was set to take place in California state court.

Meta has settled with a plaintiff in the second Los Angeles bellwether trial over claims its Instagram platform harms the mental health of minors. Snap settled a few days later, leaving no defendants to face the jury.

Plaintiff K.D.B. of Mississippi alleged she became addicted to Meta’s Instagram and Snap’s Snapchat as a minor, which damaged her mental health. The other plaintiff, S.J., a minor from Illinois, had already settled with Meta, and her case at trial was against Snap only.

Meta’s attorney told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl about the settlement with K.D.B. on Oct. 30, two days after jury selection began, Law360 reports.

Terms of the Meta lawsuit settlement were not disclosed. Snap settled on Nov. 2 on confidential terms, two days before opening statements were scheduled to begin, according to media reports. TikTok, YouTube and Google had already settled with both plaintiffs before trial.

A Meta spokesperson said settlements, dismissals and trials are part of how cases like this are tested. “We will continue to defend ourselves in court, and we stand by our record,” the spokesperson said.

A bellwether trial is a test case whose outcome is expected to help guide the resolution of similar lawsuits. Judge Kuhl consolidated the two plaintiffs’ cases for a single jury on Aug. 28 despite the companies’ objections.

Social media addiction settlements keep Zuckerberg off the stand

The Meta lawsuit settlement means CEO Mark Zuckerberg will not be called to testify in court again. Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had also been expected to testify in court before they agreed to settle.

According to a Law360 report, Judge Kuhl was set to hear Meta’s motion to sever the two plaintiffs’ trials. Meta argued the trial could be tainted if jurors learned it had settled with one plaintiff but not the other.

In the first bellwether trial earlier this year, a jury awarded a woman $4.2 million against Meta and $1.8 million against Google. In August, Meta also reached settlements worth up to $18 billion with nearly every U.S. state and territory over claims its platforms harm teens.

Despite the latest Meta lawsuit settlement, the company still faces other scheduled bellwether trials and thousands of cases not yet set for trial.

What do you think of the settlements in this Meta lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Mark Lanier, Sarah Lanier, Rachel Lanier and Mariana Aroditis of The Lanier Law Firm; Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP; Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen Law Firm; and Emily Jeffcott of Morgan & Morgan P.A.

The Meta social media addiction lawsuits are K.D.B., et al. v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. 23STCV28939, and Giovannetti, et al. v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. 23STCV04303, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles. The coordinated proceeding is Social Media Cases, Case No. JCCP5255.

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