Judges
have
very
limited
patience
for
lawyers
who
decide
that
courtroom
rules
are
more
of
a
vibes-based
suggestion.
And
in
the
sprawling,
high-stakes
social
media
addiction
litigation
—
the
one
trying
to
make
Big
Tech
answer
for
allegedly
hooking
kids’
brains
like
it’s
nicotine
with
better
branding
—
patience
finally
snapped.
Enter
Matthew
Bergman,
founder
of
the
Social
Media
Victims
Law
Center
and,
until
very
recently,
a
member
of
the
plaintiffs’
steering
committee.
Until,
that
is,
Judge
Carolyn
B.
Kuhl
decided
she
had
had
just
about
enough
of
Bergman’s
(repeated)
inability
to
follow
the
courthouse
rules
about
technology.
Yes,
in
a
case
literally
about
tech
accountability,
the
irony
writes
itself.
Last
week,
as
Mark
Zuckerberg
took
the
witness
stand,
Bergman
apparently
felt
the
pull
of
the
spotlight.
He
conducted
an
interview
with
the
BBC
on
the
first
floor
of
the
courthouse
where
recording
is
banned.
When
called
on
it,
Bergman
went
with
the
full
contrition
package.
The
day,
he
said,
was
“so
emotionally
overcoming”
that
he
“lost
sight
of
my
obligation
as
an
officer
of
this
court.”
He
told
Judge
Kuhl
it’s
“something
for
which
I
am
deeply
ashamed,”
adding
that
he
hoped
this
would
be
“a
learning
experience”
that
would
help
him
become
“a
better
lawyer
and
a
better
person.”
Judge
Kuhl
removed
Bergman
from
the
plaintiffs’
steering
committee,
though
another
attorney
from
the
Social
Media
Victims
Law
Center
remains
on
the
committee.
And
this
isn’t
a
one-off,
Bergman
is
also
facing
a
citation
for
allegedly
taking
a
photo
on
his
phone
in
the
courtroom,
with
a
contempt
hearing
scheduled
for
March
23.
Kuhl
did
not
mince
words.
“The
things
you’re
doing
are
threatening
to
impede
your
clients’
pursuit
of
their
claims,”
she
told
him.
To
his
credit,
Bergman
leaned
into
the
irony.
“In
a
case
about
tech
accountability,
the
fact
that
I
was
not
accountable
on
tech
issues
in
this
court
is
resonant,
it
is
humbling,
and
I
am
deeply
sorry,”
he
said.
Gold
star
for
remorse.
Unfortunately,
remorse
does
not
get
you
back
your
leadership
role
in
one
of
the
most
consequential
pieces
of
mass-tort
litigation
against
Big
Tech
to
date.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].