New Mexico is asking a judge to order Meta to pay between $35 billion and $40 billion in penalties after a jury sided with the state in a lawsuit over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The state filed the suit in 2021, accusing Meta of misleading users about its data privacy practices.
The jury ruled that Meta violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act and misled residents about privacy and misinformation. Jurors examined 29 statements and found 26 misleading, leading to a finding of 43 million violations. Under the verdict, the state could have sought up to $219 billion. State attorney Randi McGinn argued the penalty should be significant enough to affect Meta, saying the court should speak to the company in the only language it understands: money and stock price.
Meta is asking the court to cap the penalties at $3.45 billion, arguing that New Mexico did not prove any residents were actually misled. The judge is expected to issue a decision later this month.