Meta Platforms tried to make more than 3,000 lawsuits go away by invoking the federal law that has protected internet companies for three decades. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields online platforms from being held responsible for what their users post. Four of those states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — are seeking penalties Meta itself pegged at $1.4 trillion in a July court filing. Monday’s ruling opens the gate for thousands of cases, a 29-state trial beginning immediately, and a separate school district trial set for February. (Pictured above: Meta Chairman/CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who also owns a majority of controlling voting shares in the company as co-founder).