A federal judge has ruled that the FTC can move forward with its revised antitrust case against Facebook. The judge rejected Facebook’s request to dismiss the case, writing: “Although the agency may well face a tall task down the road in proving its allegations, the court believes that it has now cleared the pleading bar and may proceed to discovery.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that a federal judge has ruled that the FTC can proceed with its revised antitrust case against Facebook (now Meta Platforms Inc.) which alleges that the company is abusing its monopoly position in social media. The judge rejected Facebook’s request to dismiss the amended lawsuit.
Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Pool/Getty)
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said as part of a 48-page opinion: “Although the agency may well face a tall task down the road in proving its allegations, the court believes that it has now cleared the pleading bar and may proceed to discovery.”
The FTC filed its antitrust case against Facebook near the end of 2020 but Judge Boasberg dismissed the lawsuit last June on the ground that it did not offer sufficient evidence that the social-media giant engaged in unlawful monopolization.
The FTC has since responded with a revised complaint offering more detailed allegations against Facebook. Tuesday, the judge ruled that the FTC can now proceed with its primary allegation that Facebook unlawfully suppressed competition by purchasing rival companies, including the messaging platform WhatsApp and image-sharing website Instagram.
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com