Meta Platforms, Inc. is pushing back against a Lagos court ruling that awarded damages to rights lawyer Femi Falana, taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.

The tech company is asking the higher court to nullify the decision, which held it responsible for a video said to have affected Falana’s rights.

The dispute started after an online video allegedly linked to Falana circulated, leading him to seek legal redress. A Lagos High Court later ruled in his favour, awarding monetary compensation and placing liability on Meta.

In its fresh move, Meta is questioning both the basis of the case and the court’s authority to handle it. The company argues that the issue should have been treated as a defamation matter, not a fundamental rights case.

It also distances itself from the video, maintaining that it was published by a separate entity and not created or controlled by the platform.

Beyond that, Meta is challenging claims that it breached data protection laws, insisting it does not determine how such data is handled in content posted by third parties.

With the appeal now filed, the company wants the appellate court to scrap the earlier ruling entirely, including the damages awarded, and review how the case was handled from the outset.