Judge Sets Hearing to Resolve 3 Discovery Disputes in Social Media MDL

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson for Northern California in Oakland, in a text-only order, scheduled a virtual discovery hearing for Tuesday at noon at the parties’ request to resolve three discovery disputes about the use and disposition of a proposed plaintiff preservation information form in the multidistrict litigation against the major social media platforms. The defendant social media companies track, collect and use a substantial amount of data on each of their users, “some of which is currently subject to short retention periods,” said a joint statement filed May 3 by the parties. The form includes all necessary information to enable the defendants to identify and preserve relevant user information.