08:19 AM EST, 02/26/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Update with Meta's response to a request for comment.)

A federal judge on Tuesday denied Meta Platforms' ( META ) motion to dismiss a putative class action alleging that the company favors H-1B visa holders when hiring because it can pay them less than US citizens.

The tech giant also moved to strike references in the complaint to US Department of Justice allegations in a prior proceeding against Meta and for a stay of discovery, pending the court's ruling on the dismissal motion, both of which were denied by US Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler for the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

"We are disappointed in the Court's ruling," a Meta spokesperson told MT Newswires. "These allegations are baseless, and we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves against them."

Shares of Meta fell 1.3% in recent trading.