Utah v. Social Media

Please join us on November 17 at 12:00 p.m. for an engaging and timely discussion with Blake Young, Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Commerce, and Carina Wells, Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Utah Attorney General’s Commercial Enforcement Division, as they take us inside Utah’s high-profile litigation against major social media platforms.

We’ll explore the companies and parties involved, the legal theories driving the State’s cases, the key arguments being advanced, and where the litigation currently stands. Beyond Utah, we’ll examine the growing wave of social media litigation nationwide, emerging legal trends, and what these cases could mean for the future of technology companies, businesses, and the legal profession. This is an opportunity to gain firsthand insight into some of the most consequential and rapidly evolving legal battles shaping today’s digital landscape.

Lunch will be served. 1 regular credit CLE offered (pending UT Bar approval).

Speaker Biographies:

Blake Young is the Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Commerce, where he works on legal, legislative, and enforcement matters. Before that role, he held positions as an investigator, legal analyst, and assistant director of the Division of Consumer Protection. He has investigated cases ranging from social media litigation to COVID-era toilet paper price gouging and criminal communications fraud. Blake is a licensed attorney and certified peace officer, and earned both his bachelor's and law degrees at Brigham Young University. When not working, he typically participates in a shooting competition or spends time with his wife and two children.

Carina Wells is an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Utah Attorney General’s Commercial Enforcement Division. She represents the Utah Division of Consumer Protection in its affirmative civil litigation against businesses and individuals that have deceived Utah consumers. Carina’s cases have spanned a wide range of industries, including get-rich-quick schemes, deceptive solar panel companies, pornography websites, social media platforms, and other actors that undermine trust in Utah’s marketplace. Carina received her J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.