Judge Kuhl Sets Social Media Addiction Trials for March and August 2027 as the October 28 Trial Nears

What happened

The Los Angeles judge overseeing California's coordinated social media addiction cases has put two more bellwether trials on the calendar. According to the Daily Journal, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl set a trial to begin March 16, 2027 that will draw three cases from the first discovery pool, and a second trial to begin August 6, 2027 with one case chosen from a newer pool of eight after further discovery and recommendations from the parties. "It's not as though we were necessarily only going to try one on that date," Kuhl said of the March setting.

The settings extend a trial program that has so far produced one verdict. In March 2026 a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million to a plaintiff known as K.G.M. against Meta and YouTube, a verdict Judge Kuhl upheld in June and that both companies are appealing. A second plaintiff, R.K.C., settled with Google, TikTok, and Snap and dismissed his claims against Meta in July before a jury was sworn.

"Although there are 3,000 cases in this grouping, we're going to try and find a way to take them to trial," Kuhl said, per the Daily Journal.

The October 28 trial

Before any 2027 case is reached, the next trial is the consolidated case of S.J., a 15-year-old from Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi, against Meta, YouTube, and Snap. Judge Kuhl ordered the two cases tried together before one jury on August 28, 2026, over Meta's objection that two plaintiffs would be "hopelessly confusing" for jurors, Bloomberg Law reported. Both plaintiffs settled with TikTok in August; a third October plaintiff, P.M.Y., dismissed her remaining claims.

A final status conference is set for September 29, according to the Daily Journal. One dispute already queued for it: Meta, YouTube, and Snap want to introduce evidence that attorney advertising prompted both families to sue, arguing it gives jurors "a complete picture" of the plaintiffs' credibility and of how the parents came to blame the platforms. Plaintiffs' position on the request had not been reported at publication.

Why the 2027 dates matter

Bellwether settings are how a coordinated proceeding turns thousands of filed cases into pressure. Each trial date forces both sides to prepare specific cases, disclose experts, and decide whether to settle. The March 2027 setting is notable for pulling three cases at once, following the same multi-plaintiff approach Kuhl adopted for October. The August 2027 setting reaches into a newer discovery pool, which means plaintiffs who filed more recently are now in line for trial.

None of this sets a value for anyone else's case. A verdict in October or in 2027 informs settlement talks; it does not create a per-person payout for the roughly 3,000 coordinated California cases or the 3,208 cases pending in the federal MDL as of the September 2026 JPML report.

How this connects to the federal MDL

JCCP 5255 is separate from MDL-3047 in Oakland, where the school-district bellwethers are reported set for February 2027 and where the state attorneys general case against Meta ended on August 26, 2026 in a consent judgment worth up to roughly $17 billion to the states. That judgment is now final (ECF 3451) and expressly does not resolve individual or school-district claims. School districts continue to join the MDL: Columbus City Schools' board voted on September 8 to participate, and five North Carolina school boards filed short-form complaints on September 17.

What we are watching

Whether Snap or YouTube settle before October 28, as every defendant has done in at least one prior bellwether. Judge Kuhl's ruling on the lawyer-advertising evidence. Which three cases are selected for March 16, 2027. Whether the defendants' request for a plaintiff-verification requirement, reported in August, is decided at the September 29 conference.