Landmark fentanyl lawsuit against Snapchat moves forward

LOS ANGELES - A judge says a landmark fentanyl overdose case against Snapchat can move forward.

According to the lawsuit, the drugs were obtained through the social media app.

"I teared up," said Sam Chapman, of Manhattan Beach. "It’s a little justice for [Sammy]."

Chapman’s son Sammy died after the 16-year-old bought a fentanyl-laced pill from a dealer on Snapchat.

Earlier in the year, a judge denied Snapchat’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed by dozens of families who lost loved ones to apparent fentanyl overdoses. The appeals court’s ruling has since given Sam Chapman renewed hope that Snapchat will be held accountable for his son’s death.

"They will sort of under oath, have to tell the truth about what they've been doing to addicting our children to these platforms and what they've been doing to let drug dealers on the platform," Sam Chapman said.

The lawsuit – filed in 2022 – drew more than 60 families in coming forward with allegations. Snapchat has denied wrongdoing and has argued that the First Amendment should protect the messages being exchanged on the platform and that federal laws shield the social media app from product liability lawsuits.

"That law was put in place in 1996. Before there were algorithms and artificial intelligence and all of the things that are using our children's data to drive dangerous, adult oriented things their way," Sam Chapman said in response to Snapchat’s previously-stated defense.

FOX 11 reached out to Snap, but the social media company could not be reached for comment.