The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, July 8, edition that Meta Platforms said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4-trillion (U.S.) in penalties, accusing the company of designing its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misleading the public about their safety. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that Meta put forward the figure in its response to the attorneys-general's filings on how penalties should be calculated if the states prevailed at trial. The number, which has not previously been disclosed and is close to Meta's market capitalization of around $1.5-trillion (U.S.), comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, Calif., over the claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey against the company. Meta said the amount was unsupported by the evidence. It said in a filing: "A sanction of that size has no analogue in the history of consumer protection enforcement. The plaintiffs' outlandish calculations have no basis in fact or law." Meta added it would continue to defend itself against the states' demands. A spokesman for the New Jersey attorney-general's office declined to comment.