New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $25 billion in Cambridge Analytica case

A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties on Wednesday, stemming from a data privacy case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ruling follows a September jury verdict that found the company liable for misleading state citizens about its data practices. The jury had identified over 43 million violations of the state's unfair practices act, with potential fines up to $5,000 each, leading to an initial award of $219.5 billion that was later reduced. New Mexico pursued this case independently after opting out of a separate $17 billion federal settlement involving other states. The case originated from a 2021 lawsuit filed by former Attorney General Hector Balderas, focusing on Cambridge Analytica's improper access to 87 million users' data. Current AG Raúl Torrez, who oversaw the trial, also led a separate child-safety case resulting in a $567 million abatement order that Meta plans to appeal.