A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for violating state consumer protection laws in a case centered on Facebook’s privacy statements and content moderation practices. Judge Francis Mathew set the penalty on Wednesday following a September verdict that found more than 43 million violations.
The state argued that Facebook misrepresented a data breach involving a third-party personality quiz that collected information from roughly 87 million profiles. The data reached Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that used it for targeted advertising in the 2016 election. Prosecutors also accused Facebook of misleading people about its efforts to limit misinformation and violent content.
Meta disputed the allegations, saying New Mexico had not established that residents saw the disputed statements or suffered harm. Its lawyers also said the state improperly counted violations involving people who did not use Facebook. Jurors rejected key parts of the defense but found insufficient evidence for one claim concerning Facebook’s statements about removing harmful content.
New Mexico sought between $35 billion and $40 billion, arguing that a substantial penalty was necessary to change the company’s conduct. Meta proposed a maximum of $3.4 billion and argued that a much larger award would violate its due process rights. The company has said it plans to appeal the verdict; an appeal could change the number of violations and the final penalty.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez said proceeds from the award would support New Mexico’s public education system under state law, although an appeal could delay payment. The state is also seeking an injunction against similar practices. New Mexico pursued its own trial rather than joining 48 other states that settled with Meta. Florida also declined that settlement. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the amount ordered.