OKMULGEE, Okla. – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is entering into an attorney-client agreement with multiple law firms to join a lawsuit against a number of social media platforms, according to TR 25-034, which was passed by MCN National Council during the May 17 Regular Session.
Passed unanimously with a vote of 13-0, the resolution states:
A tribal resolution of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation authorizing the Principal Chief to execute an attorney-client agreement for legal services with the law firms of Fields Han Cunniff PLLC and Dicello Levitt LLP on behalf of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation…
Whereas, the social media platforms have created a public health emergency, particularly the mental health of the youth, with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation…
The Multi-District Litigation (MDL) involves a number of defendants such as Meta Platforms, Inc., Instagram LLC, Snap, Inc., TikTok, Inc., ByteDance, Inc., YouTube LLC, Google LLC, and Alphabet Inc. These companies own some of the most popular social media sites in the world, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Tiktok.
A Multidistrict Litigation, or MDL, is a set of lawsuits and legal proceedings from multiple districts and regions, which have been gathered to take place in one location or district. The lawsuit has been ongoing in various forms since 2023, and involves more than a thousand plaintiffs, including individual citizens, school districts, and governments. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is not the only Tribal government involved in the MDL either. Three other tribes – the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe, and the White Mountain Apache – are also involved in the litigation as plaintiffs.
The lawsuit involves multiple allegations. These include claims of liability and negligence regarding design defects and a failure to warn the general public. There are also allegations of violations of consumer protection laws, and fraudulent and negligent concealment and misrepresentation of information.
Some of the most serious counts against Meta include Wrongful Death and violations of U.S. legal code, specifically 18 U.S. Code, Subsection 2252A, part 5b. According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, that pertains to certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography.
In a statement to Mvskoke Media, Representative Nelson Harjo, who sponsored the resolution, wrote, “I’m glad as a tribal nation, we are looking out for the best interest of our youth. Social media can be and is a good thing, but when used wrongly as with anything else, it can be very damaging.”
“These platforms need to be held responsible for what they make allowances for, to many lives affected and unfortunately to many lives lost.”
Mvskoke Media reached out to Principal Chief David Hill for comment on the lawsuit. Chief Hill has declined to comment.
Thank you for shedding light on such a critical and timely issue. Your reporting offers valuable insight into the actions being taken to protect the mental health of Native youth. It’s encouraging to see the Muscogee (Creek) Nation take a firm stand. Do you think this lawsuit could set a precedent for stronger regulations on social media across tribal and non-tribal communities alike?
truly enjoyed this article, the best part was the statement “these platforms needs to be held responsible for what they make allowances for, to many lives affected and unfortunately to many lives lost. ” oooh yeah makes think that’s a left foot, right foot approach to tribal initiative and picking the fight you know you’ll win. protecting the mental health of Native youth is an excellent start. right foot should be; create a law making the possession fentanyl (half a gram) 15 to 25 years jail time and only way to reduce the time is give up the supplier. another left foot would be govern your own house recently someone embezzled several million dollars he can be your mother’s, brother, sisters aunts best friend you still need to hold him accountable for his crime.