No. 24-1133

M. P., By and Through Her Parent, Natural Guardian, and Next Friend, Jennifer Pin v. Meta Platforms Inc., fka Facebook, et al.

Lower Court: Fourth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-05-02
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) Experienced Counsel
Tags: algorithmic-bias common-law-tort content-recommendation racial-violence section-230 social-media-liability
Key Terms:
SocialSecurity Privacy
Latest Conference: 2025-09-29 (distributed 2 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Do M.P.'s state common law tort claims adequately plead conduct by Facebook in recommending content and groups to Dylann Roof that fall outside of Section 230 'immunity'?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

According to a member of Meta’s “Core Data Science Team,” its product, Facebook , knowingly creates negative “emotional contagion” t hrough algorithms that prioritize divisive and polarizing content, including hate speech and misinformation about racial groups . Facebook does this to drive use . It was thus foreseeable, and actually foreseen, by Meta that Facebook could radicalize vulnerable minds and lead them to violence. By design, Facebook provided individualized recommendations based on personal profiles created within the application that, according to Facebook’s first Director of Monetization “rais[ed] the voices of division, anger, hate, and misinformation to drown out the voices of truth, justice, morality, and peace .” After Facebook ’s algori thms recommended (1) viewing inflammatory content and (2) joining white supremacist groups to Dylann Roof, Roof became radicalized in large part by his Facebook activity. He then entered Plaintiff M.P’s church and murdered her father, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, and eight parish ioners in an effort to “start a race war .” The questions presented are: (1) Do M.P.’s state common law tort claims adequately plead conduct by Facebook in recom mending content to Dylann Roof that fall outside of Section 230 “immunity?” (2) Do M.P.’s state common law tort claims adequately plead conduct by Facebook in recom mending groups to Dylann Roof that fall outside of Section 230 “immunity?”

Docket Entries

2025-10-06
Petition DENIED.
2025-08-27
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/29/2025.
2025-08-18
Reply of M.P. by and through Jennifer Pinckney submitted.
2025-08-18
Reply of petitioner M.P. by and through Jennifer Pinckney filed.
2025-08-08
Brief of Meta Platforms Inc., et al. in opposition submitted.
2025-08-08
Brief of respondents Meta Platforms Inc., et al. in opposition filed.
2025-06-16
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including August 8, 2025.
2025-06-13
Motion of Meta Platforms Inc., et al. for an extension of time submitted.
2025-06-13
Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 9, 2025 to August 8, 2025, submitted to The Clerk.
2025-06-09
Response Requested. (Due July 9, 2025)
2025-06-03
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/18/2025.
2025-05-23
Waiver of Meta Platforms Inc., et al. of right to respond submitted.
2025-05-23
Waiver of right of respondent Meta Platforms Inc., et al. to respond filed.
2025-04-29
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 2, 2025)

Attorneys

M.P. by and through Jennifer Pinckney
Tillman J. BreckenridgeStris & Maher LLP, Petitioner
Meta Platforms Inc., et al.
Helgi C. WalkerGibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Respondent