A California state court judge refused motions by Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube who are looking for the latest trial after a jury that found their platforms dangerously designed for youth.
On Wednesday, sources close to the matter confirmed that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl determined the motions on Tuesday, as per court documents.
The order stating her ruling and explaining her reasoning remains immediately accessible.
The companies sought the latest trial after a jury discovered them negligent and imposed a $6 million in damages.
Kuhl refused the companies’ argument that they remain safe from the claims by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that saves online platforms from liability over user-generated content.
Kuhl stated the law does not acknowledge the companies' design preferences and the jury was repeatedly instructed not to consider content.
"There was substantial evidence that Plaintiff was harmed by the design features of Instagram, regardless of any of the content found on that platform," the judge stated.
Meta has rejected the ruling, with a company spokesperson expressing disagreement in a statement.
