May 22 (Reuters) - In the 18 months since the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, opens new tab to hear a mid-case appeal on whether Apple, Google and Meta are immune from claims that they promoted illegal gambling by processing payments for online casinos, the tech giants and the consumers suing them have spared no effort.
The busy litigants have plied the appeals court with briefs, responded to friend-of-the-court filings from nine tech and civil rights groups, and presented an hour of oral arguments to a panel of 9th Circuit judges last month.
In the 18 months since the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed , opens new tab to hear a mid-case appeal on whether Apple, Google and Meta are immune from claims that they promoted illegal gambling by processing payments for online casinos, the tech giants and the consumers suing them have spared no effort.
The busy litigants have plied the appeals court with briefs, responded to friend-of-the-court filings from nine tech and civil rights groups, and presented an hour of oral arguments to a panel of 9th Circuit judges last month.
Never mind all that.
On Tuesday, the 9th Circuit dismissed , opens new tab both the appeal and a cross appeal by plaintiffs, ruling that it did not have jurisdiction to hear the case.
The problem, according to Judges Richard Paez and Jennifer Sung, as well as U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater of Dallas, sitting by designation, is that the trial court decision , opens new tab at the heart of the appeal broadly addressed the viability of plaintiffs’ legal theories — but did not apply those conclusions to any of the 125 specific causes of action alleged against the tech companies in three separate complaints.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/column-us-appeals-court-punts-liability-shield-apple-google-meta-casino-app-2024-05-22/