Meta won’t have to face the next planned social media addiction trial

Less than a week before Meta’s lawyers were set to return to a Los Angeles courtroom, the plaintiff accusing the platform of inflicting harm dropped the case. Brought by 15-year-old Florida plaintiff going by initials R.K.C., the case was set to be the second in a set of bellwether trials meant to test legal arguments that social media giants allegedly broke the law by creating features that hooked and harmed teens.

TikTok, Snap, and YouTube previously settled claims brought by R.K.C. for undisclosed amounts. “In light of the overall successful result of the litigation and his concerns about enduring a grueling weekslong trial, he has elected to withdraw his claims against Meta,” R.K.C.’s lawyers Emily Jeffcott and Rahul Ravipudi said in a statement. “He’s ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life.” That means Meta got out of this case without having to pay a settlement. “The claims never held up, and this outcome makes clear that we will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.

There’s still seven more bellwether cases on deck in the California state courthouse in LA, and a separate set of cases pending in a federal court in Oakland. Meta, Tiktok, Snap, and YouTube settled with a school district that was set to be the first in that separate set of bellwether cases seeking money to cover mental health-related costs to students allegedly caused by their platforms. Meta is still set to face claims brought by state attorneys general in federal court next month, alleging that it illegally misled the public about harmful and allegedly addictive features.