A coalition of US states will seek around US$200 billion in damages against Meta, which they accuse of intentionally designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children, when a landmark trial kicks off on Tuesday.
Meta previously had claimed in court documents that the financial penalties could reach US$1.4 trillion, close to its entire market value, which hovers around US$1.5 trillion.
With more than three billion users across all of its apps, Meta will defend itself in the six-week-long trial beginning on Aug 18 when opening statements begin in Oakland, a short drive from San Francisco.
If Meta loses the case, the states will ask a judge to force the world’s largest social media company to make changes to its two core apps, in addition to slapping the company with a massive financial penalty.
“We have not made a request for US$1.4 trillion” in damages, a lawyer for the states said during a hearing on Thursday, and continued that they believe Meta calculated the massive figure “for shock value”.
Rather, the states will ask for damages closer to US$193 billion, the lawyer said.
Representatives for the states did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A coalition of states sued Meta in 2023 for allegedly designing addictive features for kids in its apps and violating state laws.
Prosecutors representing California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey will now try to prove that Meta violated federal and state laws regarding children’s safety and privacy online.
Meta “strongly disagrees with these allegations” and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” a spokesperson told AFP.
Meta will also not be allowed to block a key witness, a federal judge said on Thursday.
Last week, the company asked the court to prevent a former employee, Arturo Bejar, from testifying for allegedly destroying evidence.
“I’m not going to exclude him from testifying,” Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said.
Bejar is a former Meta employee who has previously testified against the social media company, including at a trial in New Mexico which Meta recently lost.
Lawyers for the states are expected to put Bejar on the stand for three hours to answer questions about Meta’s practices around safety and growth and whether the company publicly misrepresented what it knew, according to a court document.
Eight people were selected on Wednesday to serve on an advisory jury. Judge Rogers will make the final decision, and a verdict is expected by early October.
