WASHINGTON (Reuters) -New York and other U.S. states filed a notice on Wednesday saying they will fight the dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit that they launched against Facebook Inc in an appeals court.
In June, a U.S. judge dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against the social media company that had sought to force it to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.
Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the states’ lawsuit but said the Federal Trade Commission could refile its complaint.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the states would press on.
“We filed this notice of appeal because we disagree with the court’s decision and must hold Facebook accountable for stifling competition, reducing innovation and cutting privacy protections,” she said.
In dismissing the states’ lawsuit, Boasberg said they had waited too long to challenge the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
“We believe the District Court’s decision dismissing the states’ complaint is correct and look forward to defending the District Court’s decision before the Court of Appeals, a Facebook spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
