CAT grants permission to serve Meta and Facebook Ireland outside the jurisdiction

The Competition Appeal Tribunal has granted Dr Lovdahl Gormsen permission to serve a collective proceedings claim form on Meta and Facebook Ireland out of the jurisdiction.

Dr Lovdahl Gormsen is the Proposed Class Representative in a claim for abuses of dominance, brought on behalf of some 45 million Facebook users.

The President of the Competition Tribunal held that it is “seriously arguable that the matters relied on and alleged constitute abusive conduct” and that “there is a serious issue to be tried on the merits of the case against Meta, and Facebook Ireland”. He also considered “that the UK (and this Tribunal) is clearly and distinctly the appropriate forum for the trial of this action”.

The President’s Reasoned Order is available here.

Ronit Kreisberger QC and Nikolaus Grubeck act for Dr Lovdahl Gormsen, instructed by Quinn Emanuel.