On October 21, 2026, New Mexico District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in civil penalties after a jury found 43,899,725 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice. The case centered on Facebook’s privacy practices and third-party access to personal information.
What the jury found, and where the penalty goes
The New Mexico Department of Justice said the case concerned Facebook’s statements and practices about user privacy, third-party access to personal information, and harmful content. The Associated Press reported that jurors rejected claims that Facebook made false statements about removing harmful content, including COVID-19 misinformation. The verdict therefore did not uphold every claim involving content moderation.
The $25 billion is a state civil penalty, not an individual payout. The Associated Press reported that New Mexico consumer-protection fines go toward education spending.
Meta said it intends to appeal the ruling. The announced penalty follows the jury’s finding against Facebook, the platform at the center of the case; Meta Platforms, Inc. is the company ordered to pay.
