A federal judge sanctioned Facebook owner Meta Platforms and its law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, for what he ruled as “ridiculous,” “frivolous” and “laughable” arguments that purposely stonewalled plaintiffs suing over privacy violations.

In a Thursday order, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California found that Facebook and its lawyers repeatedly gaslighted the plaintiffs attorneys and purposely misinterpreted discovery orders in the multidistrict litigation over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Chhabria ordered them to pay over $925,000 to the plaintiffs attorneys in fees and costs.

Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Judge Vince Chhabria of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.