At a court hearing in Oakland, California, on Friday, Half CEO Marco Zuckerbergalong with his legal team, argued for personal liability in a series of lawsuits alleging that social media platforms under his leadership, including Facebook AND Instagramhave contributed to addiction among children.
The lawsuits, filed by parents and schools in more than a dozen states, target both Zuckerberg and Meta, NBC Bay Area reported. The plaintiffs argue that Zuckerberg specifically had an obligation to make public findings regarding the risks of social media to children.
Zuckerberg’s request to be barred from personal liability in these cases, while not dismissing the lawsuits against Meta, highlights a significant legal debate over the scope of corporate executives’ liability.
According to Bloomberg, executives are usually shielded from personal liability. However, there are exceptions.
Read also: Harvard expert says Zuckerberg is derailing Facebook: ‘I think the wealth has gone to his head’
According to a report from Business Insider, court documents reveal that Zuckerberg’s lawyers argued that it is “a fundamental principle that individuals cannot be held personally liable for a company’s acts or omissions based simply on their status as corporate officers, directors or shareholders.”
And while one judge expressed skepticism of the plaintiffs’ arguments, the possibility remains that if Meta had a duty to disclose that information, Zuckerberg could be held liable for withholding it, Bloomberg noted.
Meanwhile Friday Elon Musk took a shot at both Meta and Disney, the latter of which cut ties with social media platform X over Musk’s anti-Semitic remarks on the platform. The billionaire entrepreneur released a Wall Street Journal article titled “Meta Staff Found Instagram Tool Allows Child Exploitation. Company Moved On Anyway.”
Musk commented alongside the link: “Yet Disney spends billions on advertising with Meta.”
This content was partially produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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