DEKALB COUNTY, GA — Following a multi-million dollar judgment in California, a local legal team is preparing for a similar lawsuit involving DeKalb County Schools.
DeKalb County is one of several school districts selected to participate in a class action lawsuit against social media companies over what attorneys describe as “addictive designs.”
Atlanta attorney Davis Vaughn, principal at Beasley Allen Law Firm, recently returned from California after securing a $6 million verdict in a personal injury case tied to social media addiction. In that case, Meta was ordered to pay $4.2 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages, while YouTube was ordered to pay $1.8 million.
Vaughn said the outcome in California does not guarantee a similar result in Georgia but could help set expectations moving forward.
“Success in the California personal injury case does not guarantee success for Dekalb. However, I think it puts a benchmark down that we as lawyers on this case, and our clients are willing to go to bat,” Vaughn said.
He added that momentum remains strong as the legal team prepares for DeKalb County’s case.
“And I’m hopeful that the success we’ve had thus far, at least shows the defendants that we’re not going anywhere, we will continue to fight for these clients, Dekalb included,” Vaughn said.
DeKalb County Schools is seeking to recover more than $4 million it says has already been spent addressing the impact of social media on students. The district is also pursuing an additional $2 billion for a long-term plan to address concerns including anxiety, depression, behavioral issues, and classroom disruptions.
“They’ve extended several million dollars already because of these social media companies, and those companies should have to pay Dekalb for the harm that they’ve caused,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn said DeKalb County is the fifth of six school districts chosen as test cases in the broader litigation. The first school district case is expected to begin in June.
Attorneys argue the case follows a legal strategy similar to past lawsuits against tobacco companies, alleging companies knowingly created addictive products that caused harm to consumers.
WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.
