Fla. AG Says Tech Groups Lack Standing in Social Media Case
Dismiss tech groups’ complaint against a Florida social media law “for lack of jurisdiction and failure to state a claim,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) argued Friday at U.S. District Court for Northern Florida (docket 4:21-cv-0220). The U.S. Supreme…
Court in July ruled the First Amendment protects social media platforms’ ability to moderate content, sending the tech industry’s suits against Florida and Texas laws back to the lower courts (see 2407010053). The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice earlier this month submitted an amended complaint asking the district court to permanently enjoin Florida’s social media law (see 2411040033). The plaintiffs lack associational standing to advance First Amendment claims, which “require a host of factual determinations about the members and their platforms,” said Moody. In addition, the amended complaint “is a shotgun pleading,” said the Florida AG. “Plaintiffs have not stated a claim under the First Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, or Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act,” nor a claim for injunctive relief for their members.