Snap Must Face Illicit Drug Case Not Protected By Tech Shield

Snap Inc. failed to wield the tech industry’s immunity law known as Section 230 to block a lawsuit alleging that its social media messaging app, Snapchat, facilitated the sale of fentanyl-laced counterfeit drugs that caused the death of eight of its users, including minors.

Snap’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by around a dozen parents whose children had purchased drugs from Snapchat users containing lethal doses of the synthetic opioid, was mostly denied Tuesday by Judge Lawrence Riff of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

“Today’s ruling marks the first time a court has allowed parents to hold social media ...