TikTok settlement comes in days before social media lawsuit trial begins

TikTok bellwether trial settlement overview:

• Who: TikTok has reached a settlement with the plaintiff in a bellwether trial over claims social media harms young users’ mental health.
• Why: The TikTok settlement comes days after Snap Inc. also settled the case, leaving Meta and YouTube as the only defendants.
• Where: The settlement was reached in Los Angeles County Superior Court in California.
• How to Get Help: If you or your child experienced social media addiction or mental health issues linked to excessive platform use, you may qualify to take legal action.

TikTok has reached an eleventh-hour settlement in the first bellwether trial alleging social media harms young users’ mental health. TikTok struck a deal just days after Snap settled, leaving Meta and YouTube as the remaining defendants.

Plaintiffs’ counsel confirmed that TikTok agreed to the settlement in principle the night before jury selection was set to begin in Los Angeles in minor plaintiff K.G.M.’s individual case, reports Law360.

The TikTok settlement does not resolve the roughly 1,000 other consolidated personal injury cases in the Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) pending before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl, according to the Law360 report.

K.G.M.’s attorney, Mariana A. McConnell of Kiesel Law LLP, said the confidential TikTok settlement is a “great” outcome for her client and allows plaintiffs to focus their trial efforts on Meta and YouTube.

Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen Law Firm, co-lead counsel for JCCP plaintiffs, said TikTok remains a defendant in other JCCP cases, including additional bellwether trials.

The trial in K.G.M.’s case will proceed as scheduled against Meta and YouTube, with jury selection underway and opening statements expected next week.

Social media lawsuit alleges companies designed apps with harmful features

The TikTok settlement centers on claims by a minor identified only as K.G.M., who alleges that her social media use disrupted her sleep, worsened anxiety and depression, and increased feelings of insecurity, among other harms.

K.G.M.’s lawsuit is the first bellwether trial selected from more than 1,000 related cases consolidated in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to Law360.

The broader litigation accuses social media companies of deliberately encouraging compulsive use among young people through features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications, and reward-based feedback.

In October, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl ruled that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri must testify at the trial. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had also been ordered to testify, but will no longer be called following Snap’s settlement, plaintiffs’ counsel said.

Judge Kuhl has already dismissed some claims but allowed others — including failure-to-warn, negligence, and concealment allegations — to move forward. She also rejected arguments that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields the companies from liability, Law360 reports.

What do you think of the TikTok settlement and the social media bellwether trial? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by lead counsel Mariana A. McConnell of Kiesel Law LLP, Rachel Lanier and W. Mark Lanier of the Lanier Law Firm, Rahul Ravipudi of Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP, Adam S. Davis of Wagstaff & Cartmell LLP and Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen Law Firm.

The bell weather case is P.F. et al. v. Meta Platforms Inc. et al., Case No. 23SMCV03371, the JCCP case is Social Media Cases, Case No. JCCP5255 and lead Case No. 22STCV21355, all in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

The federal MDL is In re: Soc. Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, Case no. 4:22-md-03047, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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