Attorneys representing 29 plaintiffs across the U.S., including one in Bowling Green, who are suing the company that owns Facebook and Instagram are seeking to have all the lawsuits heard in one court, according to a recent federal court filing.

The lawsuits, which have been filed in federal court jurisdictions in 15 states, allege that Meta Platforms and six subsidiaries or companies owned by Meta were aware that their social media platforms exploited adolescent users and fostered addictions to using the sites, leading to adverse mental and physical health effects.

Meta is accused of designing its platforms so that they addicted teenage and young adult users, failing to warn young users of any harmful effects and downplaying any negative effects of Facebook or Instagram usage, which the lawsuit claims is manifested in the form of negative self image, particularly among young girls, disordered eating, lack of sleep, increases in anxiety and depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

One of the recent lawsuits against Meta was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on behalf of 21-year-old Bowling Green resident Klinten Craig.

The lawsuits have been brought in various federal courts by the Beasley Allen law firm in Montgomery, Ala., and the claims for liability are based largely on information revealed by Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee-turned whistleblower who testified before a congressional subcommittee about Facebook’s impact on young users, revealing that internal Facebook documents documented the platform’s harmful effects on young users, particularly female children and adolescents, and urging Congress to implement stricter regulations.

An Aug. 1 filing on behalf of the plaintiffs requests that the multiple lawsuits be transferred either to the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois or the federal court in the Western District of Missouri.

“Currently, counsel represents over 400 clients prepared to bring similar claims against defendants,” attorney Joseph VanZandt said in the motion to transfer the cases. “Further, the undersigned is in communication with attorneys throughout the country who are investigating similar claims, thus increasing the likelihood of additional case filings.”

VanZandt argues that the multiple lawsuits involve common questions of fact and that consolidating the cases will “reduce discovery costs and burdens between the parties” and “avoid inconsistent rulings between the various courts.”

The federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, which encompasses Chicago and other cities, is identified by the plaintiffs as an appropriate venue due to being convenient for travel for all people involved, having an “exceptional track record of efficiently managing its docket” and for being “centrally located” to Meta’s data centers that contain user information.

The Northern District is also the jurisdiction with the largest number of lawsuits in this matter, according to VanZandt’s filing.

The Western District of Missouri, with courthouses in Kansas City and two other cities, is also seen by VanZandt as a convenient, centrally-located site for all parties that can quickly shepherd complex civil cases to a resolution.