Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has filed a notice to appeal after a Los Angeles jury found the company liable for harming teenagers. The legal challenge has raised questions about a similar lawsuit unfolding in New Mexico, where a jury previously reached a comparable verdict against the tech giant.

New Mexico Lawsuit

The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office is currently awaiting a decision in phase two of the state’s case, which will determine what operational changes, if any, the company must implement. Legal experts warn that the ongoing New Mexico lawsuit could face years of appeals.

Mark Lanier, the lead trial counsel in the California lawsuit against Meta and Google, described the initial West Coast trial as a historic step. “It was not only the first case, but it was a victorious case. The companies were forced to bring their executives to testify across, examined Mark Zuckerberg and others, and the jury found not only that the companies had formed addictive platforms, but they did it intentionally with malice,” Lanier said.

Lanier told KOAT that he believes the legal battle is only beginning, noting that the tech companies will contest the rulings. “There’s no way that these companies will go down easy. They want every bite at the apple they can possibly get to escape from a liability,” Lanier said.

Appeals Process

Legal expert John Day said that if Meta loses the next steps in New Mexico, an appeal is inevitable. “Meta is going to appeal any adverse ruling in the second part of the case that the attorney general brought against,” Day said. According to Day, the litigation could span years as the company exhausts its legal options.

Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.