LONDON: Facebook temporarily repelled a class action lawsuit over claims the social media company misused its dominating position to profit from the personal data of its users. The case may be worth up to 3 billion pounds ($3.7 billion).
The potential plaintiffs’ attorneys were given up to six months by a London tribunal to “have another go” at proving any purported damages by users.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), the parent corporation of the Facebook group, on behalf of the estimated 45 million Facebook users in Britain.
The plaintiff, a legal scholar named Liza Lovdahl Gormsen, claims that Facebook users were not fairly rewarded for the value of the personal information they were required to supply in order to utilise the network.
This month, her attorneys requested certification of the lawsuit under the UK’s collective procedures framework, which is essentially equal to the class action process in the US, from the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
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But, the Tribunal decided on Monday that in order for the case to proceed, Lovdahl Gormsen’s technique of determining any losses incurred by Facebook users required “root-and-branch re-evaluation.”
But, Lovdahl Gormsen’s attorneys were given six months to “submit further material putting forth a fresh and better plan leading to an effective trial” by Judge Marcus Smith.
A representative for Meta said the business appreciated the ruling and cited its earlier claim that the complaint is “totally without merit.”
A Lovdahl Gormsen spokesman declined to respond.
