New Mexico Judge Orders Meta to Pay $25 Billion in Privacy Case

State District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew issued the order following a jury finding that Meta committed over 43 million violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act. The court cited the systematic nature of the company’s misstatements and the involvement of senior leadership in its decision to impose a $5,000 penalty per violation. The verdict marks a significant escalation in legal pressure on the company, which has faced multiple state and federal challenges regarding platform transparency.

Meta has vowed to contest the ruling. Chief legal officer CJ Mahoney stated the company is confident it will prevail on appeal, arguing that the judgment effectively functions as a tax on speech and creates an unsustainable environment for business within the state. Attorney General Torrez, however, maintained that the penalty sends a necessary message that no corporation is beyond the reach of the law. This ruling follows a separate August judgment where Judge Bryan Biedscheid ordered the company to pay $567 million in damages regarding the platform's impact on youth, underscoring a period of mounting legal setbacks for the tech giant in New Mexico courts.