Meta ordered to pay $25 billion verdict in New Mexico

Judge Francis Mathew ordered Meta to pay New Mexico twenty-five billion dollars on Wednesday after a civil liability trial. The massive penalty follows a jury verdict finding the tech firm deceived the public about consumer privacy. Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the penalty historic.

Torrez said the decision delivers a clear warning to modern tech giants. State prosecutors had originally sought thirty-five billion to forty billion dollars from the corporation.

“This judgement should be a signal, an unambiguous message, to Silicon Valley,” Torrez said at a news conference.

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million consumer protection violations. Those counts stemmed from third-party data harvesting tied to the firm Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 election.

The state went to court alone. Forty-eight other states settled with Facebook for eighteen billion dollars in August.

Florida was the only other state that refused to sign the nationwide settlement agreement. That separate deal released the company from future liability tied to the breach.

Arguments Over Harm and Financial Penalties

Lawyers for New Mexico argued a huge financial penalty was necessary to move stock prices. In contrast, corporate defense lawyers argued for a cap of 3.4 billion dollars.

Defense attorney Matt Nicholson argued in court that forty billion dollars was excessive. State attorney Randi McGinn urged holding powerful technology corporations accountable.

The core dispute focused on an external quiz that harvested roughly 87 million user profiles. The data went to Cambridge Analytica, whose clients included the 2016 campaign for President Donald Trump.

State prosecutors argued deceptive company statements misled every resident living across New Mexico. Meta argued the state failed to prove actual harm to residents.

“The jury didn’t make findings that any New Mexican heard or saw these statements, or was harmed by them,” Nicholson said during an Oct. 1 hearing.

Prosecutors also accused Facebook of allowing violent posts and false claims to spread freely. Defense lawyers denied those claims. They argued company content policies remain strong.

Court Findings and the Planned Appeal

Jurors evaluated whether the business misled platform users thirty-four separate times. The panel then found Facebook liable for 2.1 million violations across certain counts.

The final tally reached over 43 million violations. Torrez said all awarded funds will go toward the public education system.

Meta plans to appeal the final trial outcome. Company attorneys said the state relied on outdated facts from five years of review.

Jurors agreed with the defense on one key point. The state did not prove false claims about removing harmful material regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a video deposition, company leader Mark Zuckerberg denied claims of profiting from harmful posts. Zuckerberg stated the company balances free speech with content rules.

Defense lawyers noted the platform has removed ninety-nine percent of improper posts since 2021.

Civil court judgments often involve formal post-trial hearings where judges establish final financial penalties. A losing party in state court may pursue an appeal through higher appellate courts. Interest on civil financial awards can accrue while that review continues.

The state of New Mexico is also seeking an injunction to stop similar business practices.