How This US Lawyer Used AI To Win A Rs 57 Crore Landmark Verdict Against Meta And Google

A Texas trial lawyer, Mark Lanier, revealed how artificial intelligence played a pivotal role in his team’s victory against Meta and Google’s YouTube in a groundbreaking social media addiction lawsuit. In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million (approximately Rs 57 crore) to a plaintiff who claimed social media addiction during childhood caused significant harm, marking the first jury verdict of its kind in the U.S. The jury ruled Meta and YouTube negligent in designing platforms for younger users, assigning 70% liability to Meta. Lanier’s firm developed a custom AI platform, Boodlebox, trained on his 40 years of legal experience, including past trial strategies and case insights. The AI processed thousands of pages of evidence, analyzed internal company documents, and summarized witness testimony overnight. It also generated 100 potential cross-examination questions for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, refining recommendations to match Lanier’s style 80-90% of the time after learning his preferences. The technology allowed Lanier’s team to focus on strategy and advocacy by handling time-consuming tasks like reviewing jury notes and courtroom transcripts. Lanier emphasized AI’s limitations, noting it cannot replace human intuition or real-time courtroom adaptability. Despite this, the AI served as a ‘force multiplier,’ enabling the team to achieve 30 hours of work in the time it would normally take 10. The verdict included $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. Lanier’s use of AI demonstrates its growing role in legal proceedings, particularly in high-stakes cases against major corporations. The case sets a precedent for future lawsuits involving social media addiction and platform liability.