Johnson v. Meta Platforms, Inc.
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
BACKGROUND
Meta is the owner and operator of Instagram, a social media platform with over one billion worldwide users. (See Resp. to Mot. 1; Instagram Statistics and Trends, DATAREPORTAL (Aug. 15, 2022), https://datareportal.com/essential-instagram-stats.) Ms. Johnson has been an Instagram user since 2011 and is a resident of Harford County, Maryland. (First Am. Compl. ¶¶ 1, 21, ECF No. 21.) Through her verified account (@LICKMYKAKEZ), Ms.
Johnson has gained over 2.8 million followers and runs a successful business selling “adult toys” and “products.” (Id. ¶¶ 1, 14.) Ms. Johnson alleges that Instagram disabled her account on or about July 1, 2021, thereby disrupting her ability to transact her business and breaching its obligations under the Instagram Terms of Use (the “Terms”). (Id. ¶¶ 23, 29.) The Plaintiff claims that her efforts to reactivate her account through Instagram’s Help Center failed, and that Meta failed to timely and adequately respond to her requests. (Id. ¶ 30.)
Ms. Johnson further asserts that her account was suspended after a John Doe was paid to “bring her account down.” (Id. ¶ 31.) Ms. Johnson contends that the John Doe demanded that she pay $3,000 and…