In re Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation

Summary

The United States District Court for the Northern District of California resolves a discovery dispute concerning Meta’s Request for Production 74 in the Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation. The court orders plaintiffs to produce documents sufficient to show third-party cookies on relevant devices and browsers capable of collecting or sharing health information, subject to specified criteria, deadlines, and privacy protections.

Holdings

1. Documents sufficient to show third-party cookies on plaintiffs' relevant devices and browsers that were capable of collecting or sharing health information are relevant discovery because they bear on plaintiffs' claims, Meta's defenses, and anticipated opposition to class certification.
2. The request was overbroad to the extent it encompassed all cookies regardless of whether they were capable of collecting or sharing plaintiffs' health information.
3. Plaintiffs must produce documents sufficient to show the relevant third-party cookies, but they need not undertake a burdensome analysis of all cookies if they use objective criteria identified by Meta; alternatively, plaintiffs must produce the entire list of third-party cookies on the relevant devices and browsers.

Questions Presented

1. Whether documents showing third-party cookies on plaintiffs' relevant devices and browsers are relevant to plaintiffs' claims, Meta's defenses, and anticipated class-certification arguments.
2. Whether Meta's request was overbroad because it sought information about all cookies, including cookies incapable of collecting or sharing health information.
3. What limitations and procedures should govern the production to address burden and plaintiffs' privacy interests.

Disposition

other