Oakland federal trial opens as California and 28 states take on Meta

On August 22 The Guardian reported the opening of a federal trial in Oakland brought by California and 28 states against Meta. The states frame the case as hook, hold, down, harvest, and hide. An advisory jury will hear the evidence; Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decides.

What we know

• The Oakland federal trial was brought by California and 28 states; the states’ framing is hook, hold, down, harvest, and hide.
• Damages could reach $200 billion, equal to Meta’s 2025 revenue.
• The jury is advisory; Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decides. The trial is expected to last 6–8 weeks.
• Former Meta employee Arturo Béjar cited a 2021 teen Instagram survey: 51% reported a bad experience in the prior seven days, and 0.02% of that content was removed.
• Meta said it had disabled more than a million under-13 accounts.

Takeaways

• The states cast Meta’s product design as hook, hold, down, harvest, and hide.
• A $200 billion damages figure matches Meta’s 2025 revenue; the jury only advises the judge.
• Béjar’s 2021 Instagram survey and Meta’s under-13 takedowns are already in the public trial record.

Source: The Guardian