Facebook Anti-Minority Lawsuit
Facebook Anti-Minority Lawsuit
Facebook Anti-Minority Lawsuit
23 which some members of the Class are citizens of states different than Defendant. See 28 U.S.C.
24 1332(d)(2)(A). Therefore, both elements of diversity jurisdiction under CAFA are present, and this Court
25 has jurisdiction.
26 12. This Court has personal jurisdiction over Facebook because Facebook owns and operates a
business that is headquartered in California, and because it conducts substantial business throughout
27
California.
28
13. Venue properly lies in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1391(b)(1), as Facebook is
29
headquartered in this district.
30
14. Venue is also proper in this district pursuant to Facebooks Statement of Rights and
31
Responsibilities, which governs the agreement between Plaintiffs and Facebook and which states in
32
ATA Law Group
2
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 4 of 14
1 pertinent part that Plaintiffs will resolve any claim, cause of action or dispute (claim) . . . relating to . . .
2 Facebook exclusively in a state or federal court located in Santa Clara County.
3 IV. LEGAL BACKGROUND
4 A. Fair Housing Act
5 15. The Fair Housing Act, 42. U.S.C. 3601 et seq., declares that [i]t is the policy of the
6 United States to provide, within constitutional limitations, for fair housing throughout the United
7 States.
8 16. To this end, among other prohibitions, the Fair Housing Act provides that it shall be
9 unlawful . . . (c) To make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice,
10 statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any
11 preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, . . . familial status, or
12 national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.
13 17. The Fair Housing Act is a broad remedial statute that courts generously construe.
14 City of Edmonds v. Wash. St. Bldg. Code Council, 18 F.3d 802, 804 (9th Cir. 1994).
15 B. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
16 18. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that:
17 a. It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer (1) to fail or refuse to
18 hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual
19 with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment,
20 because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or (2) to limit,
21 segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment in any way which
22 would deprive or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunities or
23 otherwise adversely affect his status as an employee, because of such individual's race,
24 color, religion, sex, or national origin. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2(a).
25 b. It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employment agency to fail or refuse
26 to refer for employment, or otherwise to discriminate against, any individual because of
27 his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, or to classify or refer for employment any
28 individual on the basis of his race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. 42 U.S.C.
29 2000e-2(b).
30 c. Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, an unlawful employment practice is
31 established when the complaining party demonstrates that race, color, religion, sex, or
32
ATA Law Group
3
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 5 of 14
1 national origin was a motivating factor for any employment practice, even though other
2 factors also motivated the practice. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2(m); and,
3 d. It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer, labor organization,
4 employment agency, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship or
5 other training or retraining, including on-the-job training programs, to print or publish or
6 cause to be printed or published any notice or advertisement relating to employment by
7 such an employer or membership in or any classification or referral for employment by
8 such a labor organization, or relating to any classification or referral for employment by
9 such an employment agency, or relating to admission to, or employment in, any program
10 established to provide apprenticeship or other training by such a joint labor-management
11 committee, indicating any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination, based
12 on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, except that such a notice or advertisement
13 may indicate a preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based on religion,
14 sex, or national origin when religion, sex, or national origin is a bona fide occupational
15 qualification for employment. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-3(b).
16 V. FACTUAL BACKGROUND
17 A. Facebooks Advertising Platform
18 19. Facebook generates the majority of its revenue through the sale of advertising to
19 organizations and individuals. In the second quarter of 2016 alone, Facebook generated $6.239 billion
20 in advertising revenue.
21 20. As set out in more detail below, Facebooks advertising platform allows advertisers to
22 target and exclude specific Facebook users to see their advertisements. This targeting and exclusion is
23 based on Facebook users affinity groups, which Facebook uses to identify a persons ethnic, gender
24 and other affinities based on their Facebook activity. A users affinity may be determined by their
25 Facebook profile and interactions with organizations and other users on Facebook.
26 21. Based on a users affinity groups, Facebook builds a profile of that user that is then used
27 to determine, among other things, the advertisements the user is exposed to.
28 22. Facebook describes affinity as: a relationship like a marriage, as a natural liking, and
29 as a similarity of characteristics. We are using the term Multicultural Affinity to describe the quality
30 of people who are interested in and likely to respond well to multicultural content. What we are
31 referring to in these affinity groups is not their genetic makeup, but their affinity to the cultures they
32 are interested in. The Facebook multicultural targeting solution is based on affinity, not ethnicity. This
ATA Law Group
4
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 6 of 14
1 Muslim, or Sunni Islam. And it allows exclusion based on national origin by allowing exclusion
2 based on Expat (All), which is defined by Facebook as People whose original country of residence
3 is different from the current country/countries selected above.
4 28. There is no option in Facebooks platform to exclude the demographic of White or
5 Caucasian Americans from the target audience.
6 29. Table 1, below, is a non-exclusive list of the characteristics on Facebooks ad platform
7 that can be targeted to tailor an advertisement for housing and employment.
8 Table 1: Characteristics That Can Be Targeted So Ads to be Tailored to
Housing and Employment 2
9
10 Housing Employment
11
Renters Job seeking
12
13 First time homebuyer Currently seeking employment
22
31. The content Facebook users see on their Facebook newsfeed is individualized based on
23
their user profile, including any affinity group Facebook has labeled them with. Any user that is
24
25 excluded from an advertisement based on one of the above affinity groups will not see the excluded
1 journalists Julia Angwin and Terry Parris Jr. of ProPublic purchased an advertisement targeted to
2 Facebook members who were house hunting and excluded anyone with an African-American, Asian-
3
American or Hispanic affinity. The advertisement was approved by Facebook fifteen minutes after
4
they placed the order.
5
33. Facebook has publically committed to removing an ad from our platform if the
6
7 government agency responsible for enforcing discrimination laws tells us that the ad reflects illegal
8 discrimination. But no user can tell whether they are subject to illegal discrimination, because the
9 discrimination occurs with the ads they do not see. As a result, the problem will not be remedied
10
unless Facebook is forced to take additional action.
11
34. This lawsuit does not seek to end Facebooks Ad Platform, nor even to get rid of the
12
"Exclude People" mechanism. There are legal, desirable uses for such functionalities. Plaintiffs seek
13
14 only to end the illegal, proscribed uses of these functions.
15 CLASS ALLEGATIONS
16 35. Plaintiffs bring this nationwide class action, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of
17 Civil Procedure, individually and on behalf of all members of the following Class:
18 All natural person Facebook users located within the United States who have
19 not seen an employment- or housing-related advertisement on Facebook
within the last two years because the ads buyer used the Ad Platforms
20 Exclude People functionality to exclude the class member based on race,
21 color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin.
22 36. Not included in the Class are the following individuals and/or entities: Facebook and its
23
parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers and directors, current or former employees, and any entity in
24
which Facebook has a controlling interest; all individuals who make a timely election to be excluded
25
26 from this proceeding using the correct protocol for opting out; any and all federal, state or local
27 governments, including but not limited to their departments, agencies, divisions, bureaus, boards,
28 sections, groups, counsels and/or subdivisions; and all judges assigned to hear any aspect of this
29 litigation, as well as their immediate family members.
30
37. Plaintiffs reserve the right to modify or amend the definition of the proposed Class before
31
the Court determines whether certification is appropriate.
32
ATA Law Group
8
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 10 of 14
1 38. The Class is so numerous that joinder of all members is impracticable. Upon information
2 and belief, there are more than 156 million Facebook account holders in the United States. The
3
number of separate individuals who are members of a protected class and used Facebook within two
4
years before the filing of this action is likely in the millions, and is identifiable and ascertainable based
5
on Facebooks records.
6
7 39. There are questions of law or fact common to the Class. These questions include, but are
18 d. Whether injunctive and/or declaratory relief against Facebook and Doe Defendants
19 should be awarded;
30 Members are entitled to declaratory relief, penalties, statutory damages, restitution, and injunctive
31 relief as a result of the conduct complained of herein. Moreover, upon information and belief, the
32
ATA Law Group
9
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 11 of 14
1 conduct complained of herein is systemic. Thus, the representative Plaintiffs, like all other Class
2 Members, face substantial risk of the same injury in the future. The factual basis of Facebook and
3
Doe Defendants conduct is common to all Class Members, and represents a common thread of
4
conduct resulting in injury to all members of the Class.
5
41. Plaintiffs will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the Class. Plaintiffs interests
6
7 do not conflict with the interests of the Class Members. Furthermore, Plaintiffs have retained
8 competent counsel experienced in federal and civil rights litigation. Plaintiffs counsel will fairly and
9 adequately protect and represent the interests of the Class. Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(a)(4) and 23(g) are
10
satisfied.
11
42. Plaintiffs assert that pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3), questions of law or fact
12
common to the Class Members predominate over any questions affecting only individual members.
13
14 43. A class action is superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication
15 of this controversy. Arguably no Class Member could afford to seek legal redress individually for the
16 claims alleged herein. Therefore, absent a class action, the Class Members will continue to suffer
17 losses and Defendants misconduct will proceed without remedy.
18
44. Even if Class Members themselves could afford such individual litigation, the court
19
system could not. Given the complex legal and factual issues involved, and considering that the Class
20
21 could number in the tens of millions or greater, individualized litigation would significantly increase
22 the delay and expense to all parties and to the Court. Individualized litigation would also create the
23 potential for inconsistent or contradictory rulings. By contrast, a class action presents far fewer
24 management difficulties, allows claims to be heard which may otherwise go unheard because of the
25
relative expense of bringing individual lawsuits, and provides the benefits of adjudication, economies
26
of scale and comprehensive supervision by a single court.
27
28 45. The prosecution of individual actions by Class members would establish inconsistent
1 46. Defendants have acted in ways generally applicable to the Class, thereby making
2 appropriate final and injunctive relief or corresponding declaratory relief with regard to members of
3
the Class as a whole.
4
47. The names and addresses of the Plaintiff putative class members are available from
5
Facebook. To the extent required by law, notice will be provided to the prospective class members via
6
7 first class mail and/or by use of techniques in a form of notice that has been used customarily in
32 discriminatory selections under Exclude People by Doe Defendants. As a result, Plaintiffs and Class
ATA Law Group
11
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 13 of 14
1 Members were harmed by not having the same opportunities for housing as Facebook users who were
2 not discriminated against.
3
COUNT TWO
4
(Violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964)
5
55. This claim incorporates all of the above.
6
56. Plaintiffs and Class Members are members of groups protected by Title VII of the Civil
7
Rights Act of 1964.
8
9 57. Through its Ad Platforms Exclude People function, Defendant Facebook has made,
10 printed, published, and caused to be published, advertisements with respect to employment that
11 indicate preference and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
12
58. Through the Ad Platform, ad buyer Doe Defendants have made, printed, published, and
13
caused to be published, advertisements with respect to employment that indicate preference and
14
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
15
16 59. Through the functioning of, and publication upon, Facebooks Ad Platform, these
17 discriminatory advertisements have been withheld from Plaintiffs and Class Members based on
18 discriminatory selections under Exclude People by Doe Defendants.
19
60. As a result, Plaintiffs and Class Members were harmed by not having the same
20
opportunities for employment as Facebook users who were not discriminated against.
21
JURY DEMAND
22
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 38, Plaintiffs, individually and on behalf of the Class
23
they seek to represent, demand a jury on any issue so triable of right by a jury.
24
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
25
WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and all Class Members, request judgment be
26
entered against Defendants and that the Court grant the following:
27
1. An order determining that this action may be maintained as a class action under Rule 23
28
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, that Plaintiffs are proper class representatives, that Plaintiffs
29
attorneys be appointed Class counsel pursuant to Rule 23(g) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and
30
that Class notice be promptly issued (or under California law in the alternative);
31
32
ATA Law Group
12
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018
Case 5:16-cv-06440-EJD Document 1 Filed 11/03/16 Page 14 of 14
1 2. Judgment against Defendants for Plaintiffs and Class Members asserted causes of
2 action;
3 3. Appropriate declaratory relief against Defendants;
4 4. Preliminary and permanent injunctive relief against Defendants;
5 5. An award of statutory damages to Plaintiffs and Class Members;
6 6. An award of civil penalties against Defendants;
7 7. An award of reasonable attorneys fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred; and
8 8. Any and all relief to which Plaintiffs and the Class may be entitled.
9
10 Respectfully Submitted,
11
LAW OFFICE OF WILLIAM MOST
12
13
/s/ William Most__________
14
William Most (State Bar No. 279100)
15 Counsel for Plaintiffs Suzanne-Juliette Mobley, Karen
Savage, and Victor Onuoha
16
17
AQUA TERRA AERIS LAW GROUP
18
19
/s/ Jason R. Flanders_______
20
Jason R. Flanders (State Bar No. 238007)
21 Counsel for Plaintiffs Suzanne-Juliette Mobley, Karen
Savage, and Victor Onuoha
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
ATA Law Group
13
828 San Pablo Ave.
Ste. 115B Class Action Complaint Against Facebook and Doe Defendants 1 to 9,999
Albany, CA 94706
916-202-3018