More than 40 US states are investigating Facebook for possible antitrust violations, setting the stage for a potential lawsuit against the social network in the coming week, 4 sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, December 2.

It is unknown what is planned to go into the complaint, though a common refrain sung against Facebook is its strategic buyouts of likely rivals in the social media space, such as its 2012 buyout of Instagram or its 2014 purchase of WhatsApp.

This potential complaint would be the second major lawsuit against a large tech company in 2020, as the US government sued Google on October 20 of maintaining an “illegal monopoly” in online search and advertising.

Such a lawsuit, however, would be the first antitrust case against Facebook in the US.

That said, it may be the start of more cases to come.

The Wall Street Journal on November 30 said federal and state authorities are looking to prepare as many as 4 additional cases against either Google, Facebook, or both companies by the end of January 2021.

Facebook did not comment on the Reuters report. A spokesman for the New York attorney general’s office, said to be leading the charge against Facebook, also declined to comment on the report. – Rappler.com