Kessler Topaz is pleased to announce that partners Joseph Meltzer and Melissa Yeates have been appointed to key leadership positions in the In Re Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, 22-md-03047 (N.D. Cal.) action, in which school districts from around the country are seeking redress for the youth mental health crisis caused by social media companies. Ms. Yeates has been appointed as co-chair for the school district cases committee and Mr. Meltzer has been appointed as a school district cases committee member.
Earlier this year, Kessler Topaz filed complaints on behalf of the City of Providence, Rhode Island and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, against the social media companies, alleging the companies have deliberately designed and operated their platforms to increase revenue at the expense of the nation’s minors. Allegations include that the social media companies use design mechanisms, such as algorithms and feeds, to maximize minors’ screen time and addict adolescent users which in turn has contributed to an ongoing youth mental health crisis. Local communities and school districts from around the country have filed lawsuits seeking to hold social media companies responsible for their actions. These cases have been consolidated for pre-trial proceedings before the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California. Ms. Yeates and Mr. Meltzer will be key leaders on behalf of the City of Providence, Montgomery County, and the class, in the local governments’ and school districts’ efforts to obtain proper redress for the substantial harm social media companies have inflicted on America’s youth.