Mark Zuckerbergs Meta tried to delay posting bond for $4.2M damages in addiction case | Latest Tech News
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta tried to delay posting bond for thousands and thousands of {dollars} in damages after it was discovered liable for teen social media addiction in a landmark California court verdict last month, according to legal paperwork reviewed by The Post.
In what consultants called 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 anxiety and depression.
Meta, which boasts a staggering $1.7 trillion market capitalization, however requested the court for a free cross on the cost — arguing it shouldn’t have to put up a bond for the full quantity while it fights the ruling with post-trial motions, according 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,” according to court papers. Zuckerberg’s huge battle chest was boosted by more than $200 billion in income in fiscal 2025 alone.
Meta’s chastised legal staff submitted a bond protecting the full quantity two days later on April 9, just sooner or later before 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,” said Sacha Haworth, government director of the Tech Oversight Project.
A Meta spokesperson said the company’s filings “were standard procedural discussions around timing.”
“Once a deadline was set, Meta promptly posted the bond,” the spokesperson told The Post.
It’s doable that Meta’s attempt to delay posting bond was a “trial balloon” to gauge whether or not the decide was sympathetic to its place, according to David Levine, a professor at UC San Francisco Law School.
Families who misplaced members to suicide due to social media addiction react after a jury discovered Meta and YouTube liable in the social media addiction trial outdoors 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 via Getty Images
The company’s post-trial motions, often aimed at decreasing damages, might strain the plaintiff to settle for a smaller settlement slightly than risk having the verdict overturned solely 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, 50 cents on the dollar or 75 cents on the dollar or whatever,’” Levine added.
The $6 million judgment in the KGM case included $3 million in compensatory damages and another $3 million in punitive damages. Meta was ordered to pay 70% of the damages, or $4.2 million, while YouTube mother or father Google is on the hook for the other 30%, or $1.8 million.
Meta strenuously denied wrongdoing throughout the trial and argued in half that KGM’s mental health points had been triggered by household bother and abuse slightly than its apps.
Victims’ households react outdoors the court 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 through 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 said. “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 also ordered last 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 judgment, writing on X that it was “just a fraction of what the State sought.”
The second part of the New Mexico trial begins in May, with a state decide having remaining say over what penalties Meta must finally pay for its conduct.
KGM’s profitable case, which is predicted to spark a wave of new lawsuits against Meta past the 1000’s that are already pending in court, argued that social media apps had been deliberately designed to be addictive while implementing options like an “infinite scroll” and video autoplay.
Meta was ordered to pay thousands and thousands in damages after being discovered liable for fueling social media addiction. creativeneko – stock.adobe.com
Both Meta and Google have said they disagree with the verdict 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 attorneys from asking any questions about his wealth when he testified as a witness during the case.
That effort resulted in a partial victory, with Kuhl ruling that questions about Zuckerberg’s compensation and stock holdings had been allowed, while particular questions associated to his complete internet price and belongings like property and houses had been prohibited.
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