NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Reddit and Google's

YouTube were ordered by a New York state judge to face

lawsuits seeking to hold them responsible for helping enable the

avowed white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in 2022 at a

Buffalo, New York grocery store.

Justice Paula Feroleto of the Erie County Supreme Court said

25 plaintiffs could try to prove that the social media platforms

were designed to addict and radicalize users, and gave Payton

Gendron knowledge of the equipment and training needed for his

racially motivated mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets.

The 25 plaintiffs included store employees and customers who

witnessed the May 14, 2022 shooting, and the son of one of those

killed. Gendron was 18 at the time.

In seeking dismissals, Reddit and YouTube said they merely

hosted third-party content and were not liable under a federal

law governing such content, Section 230 of the Communications

Decency Act, or the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

But the judge said the plaintiffs could try to show Reddit

and YouTube owed them a duty because their platforms were

defective and led to injuries.

She also said the mental distress that many witnesses

suffered from the "horrific" attack was a "special circumstance"

justifying their pursuit of negligence-based claims.

In a statement, Reddit said hate and violence "have no

place" on its platform. It also said it constantly evaluates

means to remove such content, and will continue reviewing

communities to ensure they are upholding its rules.

The decision's timing appeared unrelated to Reddit's initial

public offering, which is expected to be priced on Wednesday.

YouTube spokesman Jose Castaneda said that the platform

disagreed with Feroleto's decision and will appeal.

He also said YouTube had "deepest sympathies" for attack

victims and their families, and tries to find and remove

extremist conduct while also working with law enforcement.

The lawsuits were filed by the gun control advocacy group

Everytown Law, and seek civil damages.

"We must hold accountable every single bad actor that

prepared and equipped the shooter to target and kill members of

Buffalo's Black community," its executive director Eric

Tirschwell said.

Other defendants include Alphabet, Google, retailers that

allegedly sold firearm equipment and body armor to Gendron, and

Gendron's parents.

Gendron pleaded guilty to charges including murder and

terrorism motivated by hate, and was sentenced in February 2023

to life in prison without parole.

He also faces federal charges, and the U.S. Department of

Justice said in January it plans to seek the death penalty.