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Pulaski County board signs on to national social‑media class action over youth harms
Summary
Board voted 5‑0 to sign a contingency engagement with Motley Rice to join national litigation alleging social media platforms engineered addictive algorithms harming minors; no district legal fees unless there is a recovery.
The Pulaski County Special School District board voted unanimously to sign a letter of engagement with the law firm Motley Rice to participate in a national class‑action litigation alleging that major social‑media platforms engineered algorithms that harm and addict minors.
District legal counsel and staff briefed the board on the litigation and a proffered engagement letter from the firm. Counsel described the case as similar in structure to prior large public‑entity suits and said it targets large technology firms named in other filings, including companies that operate major social platforms. The legal team said participating imposes little to no immediate financial obligation on the district because the firm operates on contingency: if there is no recovery, the district owes no attorneys’ fees; if there is a recovery, attorneys’ fees are taken from the award.
Counsel explained the district would supply a fact sheet with budget and program data to help quantify damages tied to increased costs for school security, student mental‑health services and similar expenditures. Counsel described a benefit to joining early: participating districts can gain a “seat at the table” and more direct involvement in steering discovery and settlement talks, which could favor earlier filers if a global settlement occurs.
Board members asked about privacy and data sharing. Counsel said the engagement would not require disclosure of individual student personal data and that information sought would be high‑level expenditure and program data relevant to damages. The board approved participation by a 5‑0 vote.
The district’s engagement letter with Motley Rice is included in the meeting packet and states the firm will work with a South Carolina firm and other counsel representing bellwether plaintiffs in the national case. Counsel indicated several districts nationwide are participating and that bellwether trials are being scheduled in federal court in San Francisco.
