Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta tried to delay posting bond – Business News
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta tried to delay posting bond for thousands and thousands of {dollars} in damages after it was discovered responsible for teen social media dependancy in a landmark California courtroom verdict final month, in accordance to legal paperwork reviewed by The Post.
In what specialists referred to as a “Big Tobacco” second for social media, a California state jury ordered Meta and Google to pay a mixed $6 million in damages to a girl recognized as KGM, who alleged Instagram and YouTube fueled her downward spiral of nervousness and melancholy.
Meta, which boasts a staggering $1.7 trillion market capitalization, nonetheless requested the courtroom for a free cross on the fee – arguing it shouldn’t have to put up a bond for the complete quantity whereas it fights the ruling with post-trial motions, in accordance to an April 7 submitting.
Mark Zuckerberg testified during the KGM trial. Getty Images
Judge Carolyn Kuhl rejected Meta’s request “given the size of the judgment and the substantial financial resources of defendants,” in accordance to courtroom papers. Zuckerberg’s large battle chest was boosted by more than $200 billion in income in fiscal 2025 alone.
Meta’s chastised legal staff submitted a bond overlaying the complete quantity two days later on April 9, simply in the future earlier than a court-ordered deadline.
“Dragging out this process is just another way for Meta to inflict pain on a brave young woman who stood up to one of the most powerful companies in the history of the world,” mentioned Sacha Haworth, government director of the Tech Oversight Project.
A Meta spokesperson mentioned the company’s filings “were standard procedural discussions around timing.”
“Once a deadline was set, Meta promptly posted the bond,” the spokesperson informed The Post.
It’s potential that Meta’s attempt to delay posting bond was a “trial balloon” to gauge whether or not the choose was sympathetic to its place, in accordance to David Levine, a professor at UC San Francisco Law School.
Families who misplaced fellow members from suicide due to social media dependancy react after a jury discovered Meta and YouTube liable within the social media dependancy trial exterior the Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles, on March 25, 2026. TED SOQUI/EPA/Shutterstock
Experts described the KGM verdict as a “Big Tobacco moment” for social media. AFP through Getty Images
The company’s post-trial motions, usually geared toward decreasing damages, might strain the plaintiff to settle for a smaller settlement reasonably than risk having the decision overturned totally on appeal, Levine added.
“The leverage is really the possibility of post-trial motions, which then give the defendants more opportunities to have points for appeal, which might change the calculus for plaintiff who says ‘I’m happy with this verdict but maybe it’s going to get overturned or reduced on appeal, so I’d rather take, you know, $0.50 on the dollar or $0.75 on the dollar or whatever,’” Levine added.
The $6 million judgement within the KGM case included $3 million in compensatory damages and one other $3 million in punitive damages. Meta was ordered to pay 70% of the damages, or $4.2 million, whereas YouTube guardian Google is on the hook for the opposite 30%, or $1.8 million.
Meta strenuously denied wrongdoing all through the trial and argued partly that KGM’s mental health points had been attributable to household hassle and abuse reasonably than its apps.
Victims’ households react exterior the courtroom after the jury discovered Meta and Google liable in a key take a look at case accusing Meta and Google’s YouTube of harming kids’s mental health by way of addictive social media platforms. REUTERS
“In court, Meta dragged Kaley and her family through the mud, blaming her and her parents for the harms a jury found Meta and Google to have caused,” Tech Oversight Project’s Haworth mentioned. “Those arguments were not only vile; they speak volumes about what Meta thinks about every young person that uses their platforms. When they say their products are safe, you cannot believe them.”
Meta was additionally ordered final month to pay $375 million in penalties in New Mexico after a jury discovered it failed to shield children from online intercourse creeps and misled the public about potential security dangers on its apps.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone downplayed the $375 million judgement, writing on X that it was “just a fraction of what the State sought.”
The second section of the New Mexico trial begins in May, with a state choose having ultimate say over what penalties Meta should in the end pay for its conduct.
KGM’s profitable case, which is predicted to spark a wave of new lawsuits in opposition to Meta past the hundreds which are already pending in courtroom, argued that social media apps had been deliberately designed to be addictive whereas implementing options like an “infinite scroll” and video autoplay.
Meta was ordered to pay thousands and thousands in damages after being discovered responsible for fueling social media dependancy. creativeneko – stock.adobe.com
Both Meta and Google have mentioned they disagree with the decision and plan to appeal.
Discussion about Zuckerberg’s huge personal fortune of $227 billion was a sore spot for Meta’s legal staff during the trial.
As The Post reported, the company tried to block KGM’s legal professionals from asking any questions on his wealth when he testified as a witness during the case.
That effort resulted in a partial victory, with Judge Kuhl ruling that questions on Zuckerberg’s compensation and stock holdings had been allowed, whereas particular questions associated to his whole web value and property like property and houses had been prohibited.
