Santa Fe, N.M. — October 22, 2026

A New Mexico judge on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in civil penalties after a jury found the company deceived users about the privacy of their data on Facebook. It is the largest fine ever imposed on Meta or Facebook, and among the largest corporate penalties in US history.

Roots of the lawsuit

The case, filed in 2021, grew out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a political consulting firm harvested the profile data of roughly 87 million Facebook users. The suit centered on Meta’s public statements about privacy and content moderation rather than the harvesting itself.

Nearly all other states settled with Meta in August. New Mexico did not, and took its case to trial. In September, a Santa Fe jury found Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act, counting about 43 million violations. At the statute’s maximum of $5,000 per violation, the theoretical penalty was roughly $219 billion. State District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew reduced it to $25 billion.

In his ruling, Mathew wrote: “Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false.” He also described Meta’s conduct as a deliberate strategy to mislead the public.

The arguments

New Mexico’s attorneys asked for $35 billion to $40 billion, arguing only a penalty that affected Meta’s stock price would change its behavior. Meta called that range unconstitutional and excessive, said the state hadn’t shown residents saw the statements or were harmed, and urged a cap of about $3.4 billion.

Under the New Mexico Constitution, the money goes to public education. Interest reportedly accrues at 15% a year until the penalty is paid.

Meta’s response and what’s next

Meta said it will appeal and argued the case improperly seeks to regulate speech. A company spokesperson said the ruling makes doing business in New Mexico nearly impossible. Appeals could delay payment significantly.

Key takeaways

• Largest fine against Meta: The $25 billion penalty is five times the $5 billion FTC fine against Facebook in 2019.
• States going alone: New Mexico’s decision to skip the settlement and go to trial produced a far larger outcome.
• Appeal ahead: Final enforcement remains uncertain while Meta challenges the ruling.

Sources: AP (via PBS NewsHour, ABC News), Reuters, CNN, Engadget, Bloomberg Government.