Judge orders Meta to pay New Mexico $25B over privacy deception
New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $25 billion after jury found it misled users about data privacy; state AG calls it among largest state verdicts.
The story in focus
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion after a jury found the company deceived consumers about data privacy. Attorney General Raúl Torrez called it one of the largest state verdicts against a company. Meta plans to appeal, saying it will prevail.
- Judge Francis Mathew set the penalty at $25 billion after a September jury found Meta liable for misleading users about data privacy and content moderation.
- New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described the award as one of the largest, if not the single largest, state verdicts against a company in U.S. history.
- Meta Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is confident it will prevail on appeal.
Verdict and penalty
Judge Francis Mathew ordered Meta to pay New Mexico $25 billion after a jury found the company deceived consumers about its data privacy policies for years. The jury also found Meta liable for misleading users about content moderation, though it rejected claims that Facebook made false statements about removing harmful content.
The case centered on allegations that Facebook misled users about a data breach involving a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the award one of the largest state verdicts against a company in American history.
Legal fight ahead
Meta Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is confident it will prevail on appeal, arguing the ruling makes it nearly impossible to do business in New Mexico and amounts to a tax on speech. The state had sought $35 billion to $40 billion, while Meta argued for no more than $3.4 billion.
Under the New Mexico Constitution, fines from consumer protection violations go toward state education spending. Torrez acknowledged the money would be tied up during an expected appeal, which could also reduce the number of violations and the total penalty.
What did the jury find Meta liable for?
A New Mexico jury found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of state consumer protection laws, concluding the company misled users about data privacy and content moderation, including statements about how user data was shared.
Sources & further reading
- Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico for misleading consumers about data privacy ↗CBS News
- Meta ordered to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about privacy on Facebook ↗ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
Help keep the record accurate. Send a correction.
