Meta tried to block lawyers from asking Mark Zuckerberg about his $231B fortune in LA social media trial: court docs | Latest Tech News
Meta quietly tried to block attorneys from asking Mark Zuckerberg about his large fortune at the bombshell social media dependancy trial in Los Angeles, according to court paperwork reviewed by The Post.
The proprietor of Instagram and Facebook made a confidential request to “shield Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder, CEO, and controlling shareholder, from the very same scrutiny that other witnesses have faced,” according to a submitting unsealed last Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The plaintiffs allege that Zuckerberg — who at present ranks as the world’s fifth-richest individual with a personal web value of $231 billion, according to Bloomberg — turned a blind eye to rampant hurt to teenagers brought on by his apps in order to shield his earnings.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves the Los Angeles Superior Court after testifying on February 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. Getty Images
“Meta cannot coherently argue that the magnitude of those holdings — the very figure that gives his financial interest its probative force — is somehow off limits,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote.
Meta’s request to quash the money questions stays under seal. It resulted in a partial victory for Meta, with California state Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl ruling that questions about Zuckerberg’s compensation and stock holdings had been allowed, while particular questions associated to his complete web value and property like property and houses had been prohibited.
“While Mark Zuckerberg’s financial standing is a matter of public record, based on the Court’s existing orders and established California law, it is not relevant to this case,” a Meta spokesperson said in a assertion.
Survivor mother and father Deb Schmill, Judy Hogg,Toney Roberts and Brandy Roberts hear as a lawyer speaks to the press outdoors the Los Angeles Superior Court at United States Court House on February 18, 2026 in Los Angeles. Getty Images
Nevertheless, the 41-year-old tech tycoon still ended up getting grilled about his fortune when he took the stand on Feb. 18.
Mark Lanier, the attorney for the California girl recognized as “KGM” who claims Meta’s apps wrecked her mental health, made a snarky point out of Zuckerberg’s “spending habits,” according to a transcript of the listening to.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs had been barred from asking Mark Zuckerberg about his property. MEGA
Zuckerberg — who owns a 2,300-acre compound in Hawaii in addition to a $300 million superyacht and a Gulfstream jet — responded that the more Instagram succeeded, “the more I will be able to invest in science, research and causes like that” through his basis, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
“OK, and how much have you pledged towards helping with those people who have been hurt by social media?” Lanier shot back.
Parents, who say they misplaced their kids because of social media, stand outdoors court holding fingers in Los Angeles, February 18, 2026. REUTERS
“That’s not a part of the focus of the foundation,” responded Zuckerberg, who jetted off with his spouse to Milan Fashion Week after his trial look.
Both Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, are also accused in the landmark case of intentionally rolling out addictive options and failing to present sufficient security assets.
In the submitting, plaintiffs’ lawyers argued Zuckerberg’s huge wealth was “directly relevant to substantive issues the jury must resolve during the liability phase of this trial, including whether Meta’s conduct constituted malice.”
Los Angeles, CA Court sketches show Mark Zuckerberg taking the stand in landmark trial over a lawsuit alleging Instagram and YouTube deliberately addict younger people.
Mona Shafer Edwards / BACKGRID
Lanier also requested Zuckerberg if he remembered a January 2024 Senate listening to in which Sen. Josh Hawley requested him if he would commit to “set aside money to help the victims of social media.”
“Not specifically in those words,” Zuckerberg responded.
It was during that Senate listening to that Zuckerberg infamously stood up and apologized to the households of victims of social media hurt, including some who had dedicated suicide after being focused in online “sextortion” plots. When Hawley requested Zuckerberg if he deliberate to compensate the households, Zuckerberg replied, “I don’t believe so.”
From left, Anna Wintour, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Lorenzo Bertelli and Elena Micaela Basile attend the Prada Fall/Winter 2026-2027 Women’s assortment offered in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Colleen Barry) AP
During another exchange at the social media dependancy trial, Lanier grilled Zuckerberg about the “extensive media training” he has obtained since founding Facebook and its position in defending the company’s backside line.
The self-admittedly awkward Zuckerberg quipped in response that he was “actually sort of well-known to be very bad at this.”
Families of victims of social media hurt gathered outdoors an LA courthouse during Zuckerberg’s testimony. BACKGRID
The Los Angeles jury trial is seen as a key bellwether for the industry. The final result might resolve how related trials around the nation are determined for years to come. The trial is anticipated to stretch into March.
As The Post solely reported earlier this month, a ballot organized by the Tech Oversight Project discovered that 86% of Americans need Meta and Google held accountable for their position in a social media dependancy disaster that has fueled anxiety, eating issues and even suicide among youngsters.
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