Advertiser Can't Proceed With Class-Action Against Facebook Over Demographic Targeting

A judge has denied class-action status to a Facebook advertiser that sued the company for allegedly overstating the accuracy of ad targeting on the platform.

In a decision issued Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton said Investor Village, operated by Louisiana-based Integrity Message Boards, had not shown its claims would be typical of other advertisers, or that damages could be calculated on a class-wide basis.

“Plaintiff failed to show that questions central to the validity of its claim and capable of classwide resolution predominate over their individualized counterparts,” Hamilton wrote.
The ruling allows Investor Village to proceed against Facebook individually, but doing so is often prohibitively expensive.