Klein

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 MAXIMILIAN KLEIN, et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-08570-JD

Plaintiffs,

ORDER RE MOTION TO DISMISS

v.

META PLATFORMS, INC., Defendant.

12 This case features two groups of plaintiffs who allege antitrust injuries caused by defendant Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta), which was rebranded from Facebook, Inc. The allegations in the complaints are directed at the Facebook social networking service, and the Court will use Facebook for clarity. One plaintiff group consists of Facebook users, who call themselves “consumers.” They allege that Facebook illegally acquired and maintained “a stranglehold on the Social Network and Social Media Markets.” Dkt. No. 87 ¶ 3 (consolidated consumer class action complaint). The consumer complaint is not in issue for present purposes. The focus here is on the other plaintiff group, namely individuals and entities who bought advertising on Facebook. They allege that they paid artificially inflated ad prices as a result of Facebook’s illegal…