Latest news with #Gendron
Express Tribune
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Google, Meta escape Buffalo shooter lawsuit
Several social media companies should not be held liable for helping an avowed white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in 2022 at a Buffalo, New York grocery store, a divided New York state appeals court ruled on Friday, reported Reuters. Reversing a lower court ruling, the state Appellate Division in Rochester said defendants including Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram, Google's YouTube, and Reddit were entitled to immunity under a federal law that protects online platforms from liability over user content. The case arose from Payton Gendron's racially motivated mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022. Relatives and representatives of victims, as well as store employees and customers who witnessed the attack, claimed the defendants' platforms were defective because they were designed to addict and radicalise users like Gendron. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other defendants included Alphabet, Discord, 4chan, Snap, and Twitch, all of which Gendron used, the mid-level state appeals court said. Writing for a 3-2 majority, Justice Stephen Lindley said holding social media companies liable would undermine the intent behind Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, to promote development of and competition on the internet while keeping government interference to a minimum. While condemning Gendron's conduct and "the vile content that motivated him to assassinate Black people simply because of the color of their skin," Lindley said a liability finding would "result in the end of the Internet as we know it." "Because social media companies that sort and display content would be subject to liability for every untruthful statement made on their platforms, the Internet would over time devolve into mere message boards," he wrote. Justices Tracey Bannister and Henry Nowak dissented, saying the defendants force-fed targeted content to keep users engaged, be it videos about cooking or puppies, or white nationalist vitriol.
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- The Hindu
Social media companies not liable for 2022 Buffalo mass shooting, New York court rules
Several social media companies should not be held liable for helping an avowed white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in 2022 at a Buffalo, New York grocery store, a divided New York state appeals court ruled on Friday. Reversing a lower court ruling, the state Appellate Division in Rochester said defendants including Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram, Google's YouTube, and Reddit were entitled to immunity under a federal law that protects online platforms from liability over user content. The case arose from Payton Gendron's racially motivated mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022. Relatives and representatives of victims, as well as store employees and customers who witnessed the attack, claimed the defendants' platforms were defective because they were designed to addict and radicalise users like Gendron. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other defendants included Alphabet, Discord, 4chan, Snap and Twitch, all of which Gendron used, the mid-level state appeals court said. Writing for a 3-2 majority, Justice Stephen Lindley said holding social media companies liable would undermine the intent behind Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, to promote development of and competition on the internet while keeping government interference to a minimum. While condemning Gendron's conduct and "the vile content that motivated him to assassinate Black people simply because of the color of their skin," Lindley said a liability finding would "result in the end of the Internet as we know it." "Because social media companies that sort and display content would be subject to liability for every untruthful statement made on their platforms, the Internet would over time devolve into mere message boards," he wrote. Justices Tracey Bannister and Henry Nowak dissented, saying the defendants force-fed targeted content to keep users engaged, be it videos about cooking or puppies, or white nationalist vitriol. "Such conduct does not maintain the robust nature of Internet communication or preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet contemplated by the protections of immunity," the judges wrote. Gendron pleaded guilty to state charges including murder and terrorism motivated by hate, and was sentenced in February 2023 to life in prison without parole. He faces related federal charges that could lead to the death penalty. Questioning of potential jurors in that case is scheduled to begin in August 2026, court records show.
Epoch Times
26-07-2025
- Epoch Times
Appeals Court Tosses Lawsuit Against Social Media Companies Over 2022 Buffalo Shooting
A New York appellate court on July 25 dismissed a lawsuit filed against Meta, Google, and several other social media and Internet-based companies, in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The mass shooting at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo on May 14, 2022, left 10 people dead and three injured. Police arrested Payton Gendron, an 18-year-old white man, who, in November 2022, pleaded guilty to murder and hate-motivated terrorism charges. Gendron apologized for the attack.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-CPA admits to bank fraud conspiracy that cost lenders millions
SPRINGFIELD — A former accountant pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a conspiracy that prosecutors say obtained commercial mortgages for area properties using false information. Christine Gendron, 61, pleaded guilty before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on Friday to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Caroline Ferguson. Gendron's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30. Gendron — whose certified public accountant status expired in June 2023 — described herself as 'resident CPA' of JLL Realty Developers, according to a statement of facts attached to her plea agreement signed April 16. She was sister to one of the partners of the company, Jeannette Norman. Norman's federal case is still pending. Norman, court documents note, was a vice president at Goldman Sachs between 1998 and 2007. The other partner of JLL Realty Developers was Louis Masaschi, Gendron's brother in law. In April, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing is set for July. Gendron, the statement of facts reads, helped submit false documents, such as rent rolls, and profit and loss statements, starting in May 2016, to obtain commercial loans for properties in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The documents 'contained inflated monthly rental payments and lease expiration dates ... that bore the signatures of Masaschi or Norman, as well as the forged signatures of the tenants,' says the statement of facts. Prosecutors wrote in court documents that JLL Realty tried to obtain $60 million in commercial loans, although some financial institutions did not issue the money. 'After receiving these loans, Masachi, Norman, and their companies made some or no payments and ultimately defaulted on the loans, causing substantial loses to the commercial Lenders,' documents state. Altogether, the financial institutions lost $19.3 million. Among the affected financial institutions, Workers Credit Union loaned JLL Realty $11.5 million in 2018 after the group put up an East Longmeadow property as collateral. Ultimately, the Littleton-based financial institution lost $2 million, according to the statement of facts. In 2017, Springfield-based Freedom Credit Union lent the group $6.25 million based on the collateral of three properties in Springfield and ended up losing $5.37 million, according to court documents. A year later, JLL Realty tried to obtain a $400,000 loan from the credit union, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Berkshire Bank denied JLL Realty's two applications for commercial loans in 2018, one for $11 million and another for $3 million, according to court records. The financial institutions did not immediately return requests for comments. Gendron, court documents state, did not personally guarantee the loan nor receive the proceeds of the loans. She only collected a salary at JLL Realty, which totaled about $393,000 between 2015 and 2022, court records say. Prosecutors in April sought the forfeiture of Gendron's full salary. Special agents with the FBI visited Gendron at her Feeding Hills home in May 2021, according to information filed with the court in April. 'Gendron falsely stated that she was unaware of any fraudulently obtained loans, and that it would surprise her that (her co-conspirators) would submit fraudulent documents to the bank,' prosecutors wrote. Gendron's attorney did not immediately return a request for comment. 'Clash of the Cans' mural contest transforms empty lot in Holyoke WMass shelter determined to make a difference — 14,000 cats and counting This WMass college is offering free course in AI essentials Westfield apartment fire claims life Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Attorneys argue social media not legally responsible for Tops shooting
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Attorneys representing social media companies argued in a Rochester courtroom Tuesday that the sites should not be held legally responsible for the racist mass shooting at Tops that killed 10 Black people on May 14, 2022. The argument was made to the New York Court of Appeals as they seek to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit that was filed by some of the shooting victims' families who say social media is partly to blame for the deaths of their loved ones. Lawsuit targets social media sites, gun retailers for roles in Tops mass shooting The lawsuit argues that convicted gunman Payton Gendron was radicalized by white supremacist theories he found on social media and that addictive algorithms kept leading the shooter back to racist, antisemitic and violent information. The court also heard from attorneys representing the manufacturer of a gun magazine lock, which Gendron removed during his attack to use high-capacity magazines. John Elmore is one of the attorneys who is bringing this lawsuit against the companies. 'They are all, we believe, to be addictive products and they were dangerous products that could have been made in a safer way,' Elmore said. 'As a result of the way they were manufactured, they were dangerous and in society when corporations make a dangerous product and it's foreseeable people are going to be inured, then they're liable under the products liability theory under New York State law, so we're hoping the judge will see our argument and continue.' Attorneys for the social media companies argued they are not liable, with one of them stating a 'premediated, murderous rampage is not a foreseeable risk of having a social media service.' Arguments took more than three hours and wrapped up late Tuesday. The judges did not make a decision. If the judges deny the appeal, it will then proceed to the discovery phase. Attorneys representing the victims families said the judges were very knowledgeable and that they're hopeful the ruling will be in their favor. Marlee Tuskes is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
