Facebook-Cambridge Analytica lawsuits consolidated in San Francisco
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Privacy litigation against Facebook Inc. over sharing data with political data firm Cambridge Analytica Ltd. has been consolidated in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in Washington, D.C., consolidated the litigation in an order Wednesday.
Regulators and authorities in several countries have increased scrutiny of Facebook after it failed to protect the data of some 87 million users that was shared with Cambridge Analytica.
The transfer order states its motion involves eight actions pending in four districts, and that the multidistrict panel has also been notified of 22 potentially related actions pending in six districts.
“Plaintiffs in fifteen actions and potential tag-along actions and responding defendants support centralization in the Northern District of California,” the transfer order states.
Centralization “will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of this litigation,” it states.
It states also that the Northern District is where Menlo, Park, California-based Facebook is headquartered, and that Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco “who is presiding over almost half of the pending actions is an experienced transferee judge who can steer this litigation on a prudent course.”
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