Facebook and Twitter will not be forced to disclose the private messages of a murder victim and witness in a drive-by shooting case spurred, in part, by an online spat, an appeals court ruled.

The social media giants’ counsel at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Perkins Coie convinced California’s First District Court of Appeal that Derrick Hunter and Lee Sullivan, who were indicted in murder, weapons and gang-related charges, did not meet the good cause standard needed to compel Facebook and Twitter to hand over users’ communications.