In a recent move to intensify scrutiny on social media titan TikTok, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has filed a motion against the company. Rooted in what appears to be a protracted tussle over evidence preservation—or the lack thereof—this legal maneuver targets TikTok for allegedly neglecting to provide crucial evidence as part of Tennessee's investigation into possible violations of consumer protection laws, particularly concerning children's well-being.
The Attorney General's office is downright accusing TikTok of skirting a prior court order from April 17, 2023, which was supposed to get the social media platform to hand over said evidence. In a clear push to level the playing field, Skrmetti is now seeking to not only compel TikTok into compliance but also to impose a civil penalty for their alleged destructive misdeeds. According to a statement on the official Tennessee Attorney General's website, "Despite a court order and ample time to comply, TikTok continues to cover up the extent of its destruction of evidence and dodge our investigative demands."
Delving deeper into the heart of the motion filed today, it's clear that Tennessee's legal team is not playing games. They're calling on the court to hit TikTok with a $1,000 civil penalty for destruction of evidence, as iterated on the Tennessee government's official news release. Skrmetti's office also demands that TikTok turn over a wide array of documents, from internal investigation interviews and executive text messages to unredacted materials and metadata from secure chat threads.
A coalition of 22 state attorneys general has filed an amicus brief to support this legal push. As noted in the Tennessee Attorney General's briefing, this multistate alliance essentially endorses Tennessee's endeavor to bring TikTok to book.
