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Richardson ISD board approves contingency legal arrangements to pursue potential multi-district litigation over social media harms
Summary
Trustees voted unanimously to adopt a contingent legal-services resolution and to authorize contingency-fee engagements with outside law firms as a preliminary step toward joining multi-district litigation alleging social media platforms contribute to student behavioral harms; Attorney General review was noted as a required step under Texas law.
The Richardson ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously (6-0) on March 14 to adopt a resolution authorizing a contingency-fee legal arrangement and to authorize engagement with outside law firms to evaluate and possibly join multi-district litigation against social media companies.
Superintendent Branner described the proposed litigation as a multi-district, multi-state effort that originally began in 2022 and said the district and other school systems are considering claims that certain social-media platforms are "designed to be addictive" and have harmed students' behavior and daily school environments. Branner said the district has been approached by law firms offering representation on a contingency basis and presented a draft resolution to authorize contingent expenditures for legal services.
Under the proposed arrangement, outside law firms would represent the district and be paid a percentage of any recovery; if the litigation is unsuccessful, the firms would not be paid. The memorandum and resolution noted that Texas law requires review of such contingency-fee agreements by the Texas Attorney General before they take effect; the superintendent said the Attorney General has statutory authority and has a 90-day review period after receiving the proposed package.
The board then voted to approve the contingency arrangement (vote recorded 6-0) and later voted 6-0 to adopt the specific contingency-fee engagement with the named law firms presented to the board. The transcript lists firm names in the motion materials as presented to trustees; the record indicates the firms have experience with complex multi-district school litigation. Trustees asked clarifying questions about the nature of contingency fees, oversight and the requirement that any agreement be vetted by the Texas Attorney General.
No contingency payments will be made and no legal services will be performed under the agreements until the Attorney General completes the required statutory review and the district executes any final contracts.
Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt resolution authorizing contingent legal services: Passed 6-0 (mover/second not specified in the transcript). - Motion to adopt contingency-fee engagement with the outside firms named in the meeting materials: Passed 6-0 (mover/second not specified in the transcript).
Trustees and staff said the action is an early procedural step to preserve the district's options; the board did not approve litigation funding from operating funds in the recorded segments and no litigation was filed during the meeting.
