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Jury finds Meta liable in a California social media addiction case, fined $4.2 million
- The case was the first in the more than 3,000 of similar lawsuits facing Meta and was seen as important since it will inform the outcome of other cases.
- The jury will hear more arguments on whether to impose more punitive measures against Meta Platforms.
- A Meta spokersperson said they disagree with the verdict and are weighing their options.
- Half of the payment will go to the plaintiff while the other half is punitive damages.
Assessment
While further actions are expected from the jury, a fine of $2.1m is quite negligible for Meta Platforms. Assuming the other remaining lawsuits attract a similar amount, then the fine coud be less than $6 billion. But I expect Meta to win some of the cases, especially those that are protected by Section 230.