United States of America: US Federal Court Ruling dismisses Complaint made by 46 States regarding Facebook's alleged Creation and Maintenance of a Monopoly Position (Civil Action No. 20-3590)

On 28 June 2021, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C.) dismissed the complaint filed by the 46 States in December 2020 in a parallel decision made to the FTC's complaint dismissal. The decision was reached because the complaint did not go beyond a simple allegation and is further not supported with enough evidence to be legally admissible. Specifically, Facebook's alleged monopoly position in the social media market is not proven by the plaintiffs. Significantly, the Court also argued that based on the Laches Doctrine ("no relief for those who sleep on their rights"), the States could not challenge the purchases made by Facebook 8 and 6 years earlier, respectively. The coalition of states has until 29 July 2021, to file a new complaint.