Breathitt Settles Facebook Suit

Officials confirmed on Thursday that the final portion of a multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed by the Breathitt County School System against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and other social media companies had been resolved.

Ronald E. Johnson, Jr., lead attorney for the Breathitt County School Board in the case, confirmed the settlement to state media sources on May 21.

The school system reached an undisclosed agreement with YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, the owner of Snapchat, on May 15, but negotiations continued with Facebook and its holding companies.

The terms of the agreed settlements have not been released, although the media outlets have reported that the Board was seeking in excess of $60 million in damages.

The school system has neither acknowledged the settlement nor released a statement pending the final resolution of the case.

The Breathitt County School System was one of over 1,200 school systems across the country that have sued media giants over the alleged harmful effects of their social media platforms and practices.

Breathitt County was chosen as the test case based on the merits of the original complaint filed by Attorney Robert E. Johnson, Jr., in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in 2023, alleging that the practices of social media companies directly contributed to the growing mental health crisis among young students.

In the 87-page public nuisance complaint filed electronically on March 30, 2023, Johnson, an attorney with Hendy Johnson Vaughn Emery, PSC in Louisville, laid out the school system’s case, alleging increased property damage, increased need for mental health services, and several additional allegations that created a financial strain on the school system.

The case was transferred to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and had been progressing through the system in Oakland. 

The notice of settlement and request for dismissal have been filed with the courts in Oakland.  Final action is expected in the next few months to dismiss the cases against Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap and to approve the details of the undisclosed settlement.