New Mexico Wins $25 Billion Verdict Against Meta Platforms Over Privacy Misleading Practices
A New Mexico state judge has ordered Meta Platforms to pay $25 billion following a two-week trial in the First Judicial District Court, according to reporting by urgente24.com. The state had originally sought up to $40 billion in damages, accusing the tech giant of lying to Facebook users about privacy policies and data handling following the Cambridge Analytica data breach nearly a decade ago. Mathew stated that the bad practices of Facebook, carried out for years and systematically disseminated to the public, undermine the very essence of Facebook’s business practices.
The legal battle centers on allegations that Meta deceived the public regarding content moderation decisions and anti-hate speech policies, pointing to evidence that certain high-profile accounts were not subjected to the same scrutiny as ordinary users. During the trial, jurors viewed recorded video depositions of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. Meta lawyers had argued that a multi-billion dollar penalty would constitute a constitutional violation of epic proportions.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez Signals Silicon Valley Warning
“This fallo should be a signal, an unmistakable message to anyone in Silicon Valley and beyond, that New Mexico will stand firm and go to court,” Torrez stated during a press conference reported by urgente24.com.
Unlike other jurisdictions, New Mexico chose not to join multi-state coalitions of attorneys general prosecuting Meta. Instead, the state pursued independent legal action, making it a persistent and costly adversary for the social media company. Located between Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Utah, New Mexico is the 5th largest state and was the No. 2 oil producer in the USA, and it is 1 of the 50 states that, along with Washington D.C., make up the USA, possessing the highest percentage of Hispanics, including descendants of Spanish colonizers, with demographics and culture influenced by Hispanic and Native American roots. In the trial held in early 2026, Meta Platforms received a $375 million civil penalty, followed by an additional $567 million payment ordered to establish programs that combat the youth mental health crisis.
Meta Pays Billions to Settle Legal Disputes
Historical payouts include:
- $5 billion paid to settle with the Federal Trade Commission in 2019.
- $725 million paid in 2022 to resolve a consumer class-action lawsuit.
- $459 million paid in a boreal summer agreement to resolve cases brought by 46 states and two territories.
- $567 million ordered for New Mexico youth mental health programs following the early 2026 trial.
Nuevo México contra Facebook Inc., New Mexico District Court, No. D-101-CV-202100132, dated October 21, 2026.