NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Several social media

companies were ordered by a New York state judge to face four

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

ruled on Monday that the more than 40 plaintiffs could try to

prove that Meta Platforms' ( META ) Facebook and Instagram,

Reddit, Google's YouTube and other platforms were

designed to addict and radicalize users like the shooter, Payton

Gendron.

The plaintiffs included relatives or representatives of

people who died in Gendron's racially motivated mass shooting at

Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022, as well as store

employees and customers who witnessed it. Gendron was 18 at the

time.

In seeking dismissals, Meta, Reddit, YouTube and other

defendants 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 prove that

the defendants owned 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 the 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 this week.

YouTube spokesperson Jose Castaneda said that the platform

disagreed with Feroleto's decision and will appeal.

YouTube had "deepest sympathies" for attack victims and

their families, and tries to find and remove extremist conduct

while also working with law enforcement, he said.

Meta and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests

for comment.

The lawsuits seek unspecified 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," said Eric Tirschwell, executive

director of the gun control advocacy group Everytown Law, which

filed two of the lawsuits.

Other defendants in the lawsuits include Alphabet, Google,

Snap, 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.