SCOV Law

One of the best expressions  ever captured on camera By Andy Delaney Interlocutory appeals are relatively rare, but we have one this week. Vermont sued Meta (Facebook and Instagram) under the consumer protection act among other claims. Meta filed a motion to dismiss. The trial court denied it. Meta asked to file an interlocutory appeal, which the trial court granted on Meta's personal-jurisdiction argument.   This leads to SCOV grappling with this question: Can Vermont assert personal jurisdiction over out-of-state social-media company when the real business is all digital, and the company doesn't have a real footprint in Vermont? SCOV says yes. We live in a digital world and digital contacts can suffice for personal-jurisdiction purposes.  Backing up just a bit, Vermont sued Meta, claiming it designed Instagram to be addictive for teens, prioritized ad revenue over Vermont kids' well-being, and either downplayed or hid harmful internal research. The complaint pointe...