Facebook failed in a King County court to dismiss one of two campaign finance lawsuits from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office against the multinational social media company.
The ruling came from King County Superior Court Judge Douglass A. North on Friday.
“Today we defeated Facebook’s attempt to avoid its legal responsibility to Washington voters,” Ferguson said. “Whether you’re a tech giant or a community newspaper, those who sell political ads must follow our campaign finance law. Washingtonians have a right to know who’s behind the ads seeking to influence their vote.”
Ferguson originally sued Facebook in April for allegedly failing to list the name and address of ad sponsors, costs, and dates and methods of payment.
The social multimedia company has denied selling campaign ads in Washington despite data from Facebook’s own ad library.
This lawsuit marks the second time Facebook has been sued by the state for alleged campaign finance violations since 2018 when it paid $238,000 in penalties and legal fee reimbursements.
Washington’s 1972 Fair Campaign Practices Act requires full disclosure of all financial information related to political campaigns and lobbying. It has been updated and amended several times since 1976.
The act is enforced by the Public Disclosure Commission which enforces and provides information on campaign finance law and may assess penalties up to $10,000 per violation.
The attorney general can investigate potential violations and upon a referral from the Public Disclosure Commission, may bring a lawsuit on behalf of the state and seek legal action, including penalties.
Washington wrapped up its state primary elections last week, which saw few upsets among state executives like Ferguson and several surprises among the state legislative races.
