Meta denies liability, appeals $25,000 award to Falana over false video

Meta Platforms Inc. has filed an appeal against a Lagos State High Court judgment that awarded human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) $25,000 in damages for invasion of privacy.

In the appeal filed before the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, the Facebook parent company raised eight grounds challenging both the procedural and substantive basis of the ruling by Justice Olalekan Oresanya.

Meta’s central argument is that the case — which arose from a false video about Falana’s health published on Facebook — was fundamentally a defamation matter and should not have been treated as a fundamental rights enforcement action. The company contended that by proceeding under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, the trial court assumed jurisdiction it did not possess.

The tech giant also rejected the court’s liability finding, denying any principal-agent relationship with “AfriCare Health Centre,” the third-party account that published the video. Meta argued it neither created nor exercised editorial control over the content, describing itself as an intermediary platform.

The company further challenged the court’s finding that it violated Sections 24(1)(a) and (e) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, insisting it was wrongly classified as a data controller and that no evidence showed it determined the purpose or means of processing the personal data involved.

Meta also alleged a denial of fair hearing, claiming the trial court raised and resolved issues suo motu without inviting submissions from either party.

Justice Oresanya had held in his judgment that a global tech firm hosting pages for commercial purposes owes a duty of care to individuals affected by content on its platform. Meta is now urging the appellate court to overturn the $25,000 damages award and set aside the judgment entirely.