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Appeals court blocks early exit in social media youth liability cases
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Section 230 is a defense for trial, not a jurisdictional bar, while the MDL docket keeps advancing toward trial with more than 3,000 related lawsuits on the federal docket.
An appeals court has ruled that Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat cannot immediately appeal a lower court decision that keeps a large product liability fight alive over claims their platforms were designed to hook young users, Insurance Business reports.
In a decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the court said the companies moved too early because the usual reason for an immediate appeal does not apply when pretrial matters are still underway.
The panel focused on how Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act applies. It rejected the companies' argument that the statute provides outright immunity and instead said Section 230 functions as a defense that can be raised and decided at trial, meaning the underlying litigation continues rather than pausing while the appeal plays out.
The case is consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland as In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047, and remains on track toward trial rather than being frozen. The federal docket now covers more than 3,000 lawsuits filed by parents, school districts, municipalities and state governments, and a separate trial in California involving attorneys general from 29 states also continues, with Meta previously seeking a hold while its appeal proceeds.