Case Explained: PERSONAL INJURY PLAINTIFFS, ET AL. V. META PLATFORMS, INC., ET AL.

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-10 Docket: 4:22-md-03047-YGR The ninth-circuit dismissed Meta Platforms, Inc., TikTok entities, and plaintiffs’ conditional cross-appeals for lack of appellate jurisdiction because the district court’s order denying motions to dismiss based on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was not immediately appealable. The court held that Section 230 provides a defense to liability rather than immunity from suit, meaning an order denying such protection does not satisfy the collateral order doctrine under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Applying the three requirements from *Cohen v. Beneficial Industrial Loan Corp.*, the court found the district court’s ruling did not conclusively determine the disputed question, was not completely separate from the merits of the action as it required examining factual allegations regarding third-party content, and was effectively reviewable on appeal from a final judgment since Section 230 does not guarantee a right not to stand trial. Consequently, the appeals were dismissed and the litigation proceeds in the district court. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.