Meta must face trial after appeals court rejects bid to halt $1.4 trillion youth addiction lawsuit

Meta Platforms must defend itself at trial in Oakland after the Ninth Circuit dismissed its last-minute appeal for lack of jurisdiction, clearing a lawsuit by dozens of state attorneys general seeking up to $1.4 trillion over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children. Jury selection is set to begin Wednesday, with opening arguments on Aug. 18, in a case alleging deceptive and unfair business practices under state consumer protection laws and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. The ruling leaves unresolved Meta's argument that Section 230 shields it from addiction-related claims because the appeals court decided the case on procedural grounds after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers refused to dismiss it in June. The Oakland case adds to mounting legal pressure that includes a Tennessee trial, a nearly $950 million New Mexico outcome and thousands of personal injury and school district lawsuits, even as Meta shares were little changed and analysts kept a Strong Buy consensus.

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