State AGs demand Tennessee court enforce orders for TikTok to preserve evidence

A 22-state coalition of attorneys general is urging a Tennessee court to enforce its orders requiring TikTok to comply with an ongoing multistate consumer protection investigation and to preserve and produce relevant evidence.

Initiated in 2022, the investigation aims to determine whether TikTok has violated state consumer protection laws, and contributed to the escalating mental health crisis among children and teens. As a core part of that investigation, participating states have issued requests for critical information regarding TikTok’s business practices.

Last year, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined 45 other state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of Tennessee’s enforcement action in state court. The court has twice ordered TikTok to produce responsive documents and witnesses for deposition, but TikTok has consistently failed to fully comply with these orders.

On Tuesday, a bipartisan coalition once again submitted an amicus brief in support of Tennessee’s renewed efforts to compel TikTok’s compliance. The brief highlights TikTok‘s ongoing failure to preserve relevant evidence, which not only obstructs the multistate investigation but also sets a dangerous precedent that may empower other companies to destroy critical evidence, significantly hampering states’ ability to protect their residents.

“TikTok cannot continue to evade accountability for the ongoing mental health crisis as our children and teens suffer its brutal and irreversible consequences,” Miyares said. “We cannot allow a foreign platform that influences so many young people to disregard American law and order. As a unified bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, we are taking a stand and demanding TikTok’s compliance with court orders.”

Virginia and the other states joining the amicus brief are using their investigatory powers to uncover the full scope of TikTok’s conduct and any potential violations of consumer protection laws.

Virginia joined the attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.