Florida State University announced on Mar. 26 that Justin Sevier, the Charles W. Ehrhardt Professor of Litigation, is available for interviews to discuss the recent verdict against Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube. A California jury found both companies negligent for operating addictive products that have harmed adolescents.
The case has drawn national attention due to its potential impact on how major technology companies operate their platforms and address user safety concerns, especially regarding minors.
Sevier is prepared to provide insight into how jurors might process emotional testimony from parents and children compared to technical arguments presented by large tech firms. He can also analyze public perception of the trial’s outcome.
His research focuses on legal institutional design, specifically identifying conditions under which the public legitimizes legal rules, actors, and tribunals. Sevier primarily uses psychology experiments related to evidence law to study jury behavior and how non-lawyers perceive trial outcomes. He also examines how popular legitimacy influences laws governing business torts and consumer behavior.
Those interested in speaking with Sevier about these issues can contact him at jsevier@law.fsu.edu.
