Episode 4.6: The Cases That Change America: Ron Johnson on Suing Meta Over Social Media Addiction
Ron Johnson has tried cases to verdict for more than 25 years, including a $74 million wrongful death verdict, one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Kentucky history. He has been appointed lead counsel on multiple national multidistrict litigations by federal judges, and he currently serves as co-lead counsel for the school districts suing Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap over social media addiction.
In this conversation with Mirena Umizaj Dumas, Ron explains how he ended up representing school districts in one of the most closely watched pieces of litigation in the country, what the schools are actually trying to accomplish with the case, and where the science currently stands. He also talks candidly about the business side of being a plaintiff's lawyer, why he thinks money is the single biggest reason attorneys make the wrong call for a client, and why he still keeps a foot in both single-event cases and mass torts after nearly three decades.
In this episode:
How Ron built a national mass tort practice starting from a single defective pain pump case
The legal theory behind the social media addiction litigation and what the plaintiffs are actually seeking
What the science currently shows, and what's coming in the next round of bellwether trials
Why Ron says the biggest threat to a plaintiff's lawyer is needing the client's money more than the client does
What private equity and AI are actually likely to change in the plaintiff's bar, and what they won't
The $74 million verdict and what it took to get there
Why Ron keeps returning to mass torts after swearing off them, more than once
GuestRon Johnson, Partner, Hendy Johnson Vaughn. Co-lead counsel for school district plaintiffs in the social media addiction MDL and California coordinated proceeding.
Learn more about Ron Johnson: https://justicestartshere.com/about-us/team/ronald-johnson/
The Heart of Law is hosted by Mirena Umizaj Dumas, Founder and CEO of Mirena and Company, a litigation finance and law firm consulting firm serving plaintiff practices nationwide.
Subscribe for new episodes.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0eBF99x8OEZgC13keJ4DiX
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-heart-of-law/id1558488701
