On November 9, 2022, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California issued an order naming Lieff Cabraser partner Lexi J. Hazam as Co-Lead Counsel for plaintiffs in the nationwide multidistrict teen/youth social media addiction litigation alleging that social media apps such as Facebook and TikTok cause addiction and mental health problems in young users, including suicidal thoughts, body image issues, anxiety, and depression.
As reported by The Recorder (subscription), during a four-hour hearing on November 9th, Judge Gonzalez Rogers interviewed 24 lawyers for leadership roles, eventually appointing just two.
At the hearing, Lexi introduced several novel legal theories regarding potential defenses that might come up during dismissal arguments in the case, such as the immunity protections tech companies are allowed under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, and whether social media sites constitute “products.”
She emphasized that “the CDA defense arguments should wait until the U.S. Supreme Court decides Gonzalez v. Google,” a case which, she noted, “focused on whether Section 230, which protects tech firms from the liability of third parties, applies to social media sites that push content.” Lexi also suggested pushing back the product liability arguments to a later phase of the litigation, as those arguments focus on various underlying state laws.
She also noted that she was proud to have been appointed to a co-lead role in such important and far-reaching litigation, and looked forward to quickly and efficiently moving the litigation forward on behalf of all the plaintiff firms involved to get justice for the myriad injured plaintiffs.
To read the full article, visit The Recorder’s website.
Learn more about the teen/youth social media injuries litigation.
About Lexi Hazam
An leader within the plaintiffs’ bar, Lexi J. Hazam represents clients in mass torts cases and qui tam actions, as well as complex class actions. In addition to her leadership roles in the Teen/Youth Social Media Injuries litigation and the Abilify Gambling Injuries MDL litigation, she also served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and as Co-Chair of the Plaintiffs’ Science and Experts Committee in the nationwide Benicar side effect injuries litigation. Lexi has spoken at numerous conferences on these and other drug injury cases, as well as on multiple recent California wildfire injury cases.
In 2016, Lexi was elected as Chair Elect of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP) after previously serving as vice-chair. In 2018, Lexi was elected as Vice-Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Section on Qui Tam Litigation after previously serving as Co-Secretary.
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