Meta and YouTube hit with punitive damages

Following the compensatory damages verdict in the first bellwether trial within the Social Media Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings, the jury has also ordered Metaand YouTube to pay an additional $3 million in punitivedamages. This is on top of the $3 million compensatory verdict delivered earlier today for the psychological injuries the plaintiff suffered from using Instagram and YouTube as a child. The jury determined Meta and YouTube “acted withmalice, oppression, or fraud,” sparking a separate phase of the trial in which they decided the amount of punitivedamages owed by the defendants.

Below is a statement from Morgan & Morgan attorneys Emily Jeffcott and Josh Autry, who are part of the trial team that represented the plaintiff:

“The jury’s decision to award punitive damagesunderscores the insidious nature of Meta’s and YouTube’s efforts to addict young people to their platforms. We are pleased the verdict reflects the evidence presented at trial, which revealed a blatant disregard for their users’ mental health in pursuit of greater and greater profits. Punitivedamages are designed to punish bad actors and deter inappropriate behavior in the future, and we hope these damages are a warning to Meta and YouTube that their behavior must change.”