Judge Blocks Meta’s Bid to Hide Key Documents

A Washington, D.C., Superior Court judge has once again denied Meta’s attempt to withhold internal documents in the ongoing litigation over the harms its platforms pose to children and teens. The ruling is a major development in the nationwide effort—led in part by Beasley Allen—to hold social media companies accountable for designing addictive platforms that endanger young users.

In her latest order, Judge Yvonne Williams refused Meta’s request to reconsider an earlier decision blocking the company from “clawing back” documents it had already produced in discovery. Meta claimed the documents were protected by attorneyclient privilege, but the court found that the communications appeared to show Meta’s lawyers advising employees to alter or hide research that could increase the company’s liability.

The Documents

According to the court, the documents included instructions to “remove,” “block,” “limit,” and “update” internal research—language the judge said would lead a reasonable reader to believe the communications were made to further fraud or misconduct. Because of this, the court held that Meta could not shield the documents from discovery.

The judge also rejected Meta’s attempt to delay the issue through an interlocutory appeal, noting that discovery orders are rarely appealable and that Meta had not shown any real harm from producing the documents.

Meta must now turn over the materials by January 12.

Why This Matters

This ruling strengthens the position of plaintiffs—including those represented by Beasley Allen—who allege that Meta knowingly designed its platforms to be addictive and harmful to young users. Courts across the country are increasingly recognizing the seriousness of these claims and rejecting attempts by social media companies to hide critical evidence.

In a related development, Judge Kuhl—who oversees the California state‑court social media litigation where Beasley Allen serves as co‑lead counsel—will hear argument on this same crime‑fraud issue on Friday, January 9. This upcoming hearing underscores how courts across the country are closely examining Meta’s conduct and the growing scrutiny surrounding its internal practices.

Beasley Allen continues to lead the fight to hold Meta and other platforms accountable for the mentalhealth crisis affecting children and teens. Our firm represents families nationwide in litigation involving social media addiction, youth mentalhealth injuries, and platformdriven harms.

If Your Child Has Been Harmed by Social Media

Beasley Allen is actively investigating claims involving Meta, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and other platforms. If your child has suffered anxiety, depression, selfharm, or other injuries linked to social media use, our attorneys are here to help.