Meta faces July trial in Washington, DC data privacy lawsuit
Reuters2026/11/12 21:57By Mike Scarcella
WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Meta’s Facebook will face a jury trial in July in a lawsuit by the District of Columbia's attorney general alleging the social media company misled users about how their personal information was shared and protected before the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Judge Robert Okun of the District of Columbia Superior Court set a July 12 trial date at a hearing on Thursday for the lawsuit against Facebook and a related case against Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The judge said he will consider whether to try the two cases together.
The hearing came days after Okun 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.
Facebook and the District of Columbia attorney general's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Facebook has denied any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit, brought by the District of Columbia in 2018, alleges Facebook gave users a false impression about who could access their information and failed for years to disclose that user data had been improperly obtained and sold to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. DC separately sued Zuckerberg in 2022 over his oversight at the company related to data protection.
Okun, in his ruling on summary judgment on Nov. 6, said “the District has produced evidence that consumers care deeply about the privacy and control of their personal data."
Facebook is represented by lawyers from Gibson Dunn. Zuckerberg's lawyers include Jonathan Kravis and Jessie Liu, who previously served as the top federal prosecutor for DC. They first appeared in the case last month.
In a separate lawsuit stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a New Mexico jury in September found Meta misled consumers about the privacy of their data. The judge in that case last month ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion in damages.
New Mexico said the judgment was one of the largest financial penalties against a corporation in US history. Meta has denied any wrongdoing and said it will appeal.
Read more:
New Mexico's outside lawyers could collect up to $1.27 billion in Meta case
Meta has strong chance of getting $25 billion New Mexico penalty slashed on appeal, experts say
Meta misled users about Facebook data practices, New Mexico jury finds
Meta agrees to pay $18 billion to settle US lawsuits over children's social media addiction
(Reporting by Mike Scarcella)
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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