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Meta Ordered to Pay New Mexico $25 Billion Over Cambridge Analytica Deception
Published:
In brief
A New Mexico state court judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company violated the state's consumer protection law more than 43 million times by misleading users about how Facebook handled their data and hate speech. The penalty, issued October 21, 2026, stems from the Cambridge Analytica data-harvesting scandal tied to the 2016 US election. Meta says it will appeal.
New Mexico state court Judge Francis Mathew ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in civil penalties on October 21, 2026, following a jury verdict that found the company deceived users about its handling of personal data and hate speech on Facebook, according to Bloomberg Law and ABC7 News.
The ruling resolves a lawsuit brought by New Mexico's attorney general over Meta's conduct connected to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the British political consulting firm harvested data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles through a third-party personality quiz app and used it to support targeted political advertising ahead of the 2016 US presidential election, according to ABC7 News.
What the jury found
A jury concluded that Meta had violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act more than 43 million times through deceptive public statements about how the company managed user data and moderated hate speech, Bloomberg Law and ABC7 News reported.
Under the state law, each violation can carry a civil penalty of up to $5,000, which would have put the theoretical maximum at roughly $219 billion, Bloomberg Law reported. New Mexico asked the court to set the penalty between $35 billion and $40 billion, while Meta's attorneys argued for no more than $3.4 billion, according to Bloomberg Law and ABC7 News.
Why New Mexico went to trial alone
New Mexico was the only state among those pursuing claims over the Cambridge Analytica matter that chose to take Meta to trial rather than settle. The other 48 states reached a combined settlement with Meta worth $18 billion in August 2026, according to ABC7 News.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the $25 billion award would be directed into a state fund for education, ABC7 News reported.
Meta's position
Meta had not issued an immediate public comment after the penalty order, according to Bloomberg Law. During proceedings, a Meta attorney argued that a penalty in the tens of billions of dollars would amount to what the company called a 'constitutional violation of epic proportions,' Bloomberg Law reported.
Shocking to the conscience.
ABC7 News reported that Meta plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the method used to calculate the number of violations was unprecedented and that no evidence showed the company's statements caused actual harm to consumers.
Key figures at a glance
| Figure | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Final penalty ordered | $25 billion | Bloomberg Law, Oct. 21, 2026 |
| Amount New Mexico sought | $35–40 billion | ABC7 News, Bloomberg Law |
| Amount Meta proposed | Up to $3.4 billion | ABC7 News |
| Theoretical statutory maximum | ~$219 billion | Bloomberg Law |
| Violations found by jury | 43+ million | Bloomberg Law, ABC7 News |
| 48-state settlement (Aug. 2026) | $18 billion | ABC7 News |
| Facebook profiles affected by Cambridge Analytica | ~87 million | ABC7 News |
Background: the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm that worked with Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, obtained personal data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles through a third-party quiz app without users' consent, then used the data to support targeted political advertising, according to ABC7 News.
New Mexico's lawsuit was built on claims that Meta misled the public about how it protected user data and policed harmful content, rather than solely on the original Cambridge Analytica data transfer itself, Bloomberg Law reported.
What happens next
Meta has said it plans to appeal the $25 billion order, according to ABC7 News.
Questions
- How much was Meta ordered to pay and why?
- A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company violated the state's consumer protection law more than 43 million times by misleading users about its data and hate-speech practices, tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to Bloomberg Law.
- What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal?
- It refers to a British political consulting firm harvesting personal data from about 87 million Facebook profiles via a quiz app without consent, then using it for targeted political advertising ahead of the 2016 US presidential election, per ABC7 News.
- Did other states also sue Meta over this?
- Yes. New Mexico was the only state to take Meta to trial; the other 48 states settled together with Meta for $18 billion in August 2026, according to ABC7 News.
- Will Meta appeal the $25 billion penalty?
- Yes, according to ABC7 News, Meta plans to appeal, arguing the method used to count violations was unprecedented and that no evidence showed consumers were actually harmed.
- Where will the $25 billion go if Meta pays it?
- New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has said the money would go into a state fund dedicated to education, according to ABC7 News.
Sources
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