$1.4 trillion—that's the maximum amount Meta could be on the hook for, and it's the number that's really making people take notice of this case. The trial began this past Tuesday (August 18) in federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to run for about six weeks. Meta had just failed in a last-minute attempt to get the case dismissed last week.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by multiple state attorneys general, alleging that Meta deliberately built addictive features in violation of consumer protection laws. Presided over by Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the trial will hear arguments from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, who accuse Meta of misleading the public about the safety of its apps. These four states, along with 25 others, are also suing Meta for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), claiming Meta knew there were users under 13 on Instagram and Facebook and collected their personal data without consent.
The four states haven't publicly disclosed a specific damages figure, but according to court documents Meta filed ahead of the trial, the combined claims from all states could total as much as $1.4 trillion—a number Meta itself described as "outrageous" in its filing. According to Law360, Judge Rogers has already indicated she considers the $1.4 trillion figure "unreasonable," but she's also questioned Meta's own estimate of $4 million.
For Meta, the pressure from this lawsuit goes beyond the dollar amount. The company is currently facing thousands of lawsuits related to user safety and teen mental health, and juries in Los Angeles and New Mexico have already ruled against Meta in similar cases (Meta says it plans to appeal both rulings). Another loss here wouldn't just be a financial blow—it could also make it easier for other lawsuits to gain traction. Meta says it spent $2.4 billion on legal proceedings in the second quarter of 2026 alone.
A Meta spokesperson pushed back in a statement to Engadget: "The state attorneys general may call this a bellwether case, but their claims lack evidence, and the damages they're seeking are wildly disproportionate." The statement continued: "These attorneys general haven't presented any evidence that anyone in their states was misled, yet they claim harmless features—like being able to have multiple Instagram accounts—cause harm, and they're trying to punish Meta for an age verification challenge the entire industry is grappling with." The spokesperson emphasized that the company "will defend its position in court."
Jury selection for the case has already been completed, with opening statements beginning August 18. However, the eight-person jury will serve only in an "advisory" capacity—according to Law360, the final verdict and any penalties will be determined entirely by the judge. During the trial, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are both expected to testify, according to Reuters, with both likely to take the stand. Both executives also testified in related lawsuits earlier this year. In a February hearing in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg said Instagram was designed to be "useful," not addictive.
The court will livestream audio from the trial via its official YouTube channel.
