Meta faces July trial in Washington, DC data privacy lawsuit
META•A District of Columbia judge set a July 12 jury trial in a lawsuit alleging Meta misled users about how their personal information was shared and protected. The judge will consider whether to try the case alongside a related lawsuit against CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
1. Trial date set
Judge Robert Okun set a July 12 trial date for the District of Columbia’s lawsuit against Facebook, which is owned by Meta, and a related case against CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He will consider whether to try the cases together.
2. Privacy allegations
The District sued in 2018, alleging Facebook gave users a false impression about who could access their information and failed to disclose for years that user data had been improperly obtained and sold to Cambridge Analytica. The District separately sued Zuckerberg in 2022 over his oversight of data protection. Facebook has denied wrongdoing.
3. Case advances
Okun recently denied Facebook’s bid to end the case before trial, saying a jury should decide whether the company’s statements and omissions about data privacy could have misled consumers. In a separate New Mexico case tied to Cambridge Analytica, a jury found Meta misled consumers in September, and a judge later ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in damages; Meta said it would appeal.
