Meta and Snap are accused of providing social media platformsHarming underage users, and several lawsuits involving drug addiction have seen major progress earlier.
According toCNBC TV reportLos Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl ruled that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel must testify in person at the trial, which is scheduled to begin in January.
Judge: The testimony of the responsible person is crucial to the determination of "negligence"
The trial will focus on the safety of social media and whether its platform mechanisms are "addictive" and thus cause harm to young users.
Meta and Snap's legal teams had previously argued that these executives should be exempted from the obligation to testify. Meta even warned that forcing Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri to testify would "set a precedent" for a large number of similar lawsuits in the future.
However, the judge clearly disagreed, stating in his ruling that the CEO's testimony was uniquely relevant because his knowledge of the platform's harms and his failure to take available measures to avoid those harms would determine whether his decisions were negligent or whether he approved negligent decisions.
The first landmark case, the trial results will attract much attention
This ruling is drawing significant attention because the trial, expected to begin in January, will be the first of numerous lawsuits alleging that social media platforms harm young users. Its progress and final verdict are expected to serve as a crucial benchmark for subsequent cases.
Currently, Meta and Snap are facing numerous lawsuits across the United States alleging safety issues on their platforms and harm to minors.
In response to the ruling, the law firm representing Snap said in a statement that the judge's order "does not affect the validity of the plaintiffs' claims" and that it "looks forward to the opportunity to explain in court why the plaintiffs' allegations against Snapchat are false both factually and legally."
Meta has not yet responded to the ruling.
