Meta’s New Mexico Penalty Reaches $25 Billion
A Santa Fe court reduced the originally calculated $219.4986 billion sanction to $25 billion. Meta announced it plans to appeal.
Meta’s penalty in New Mexico has reached $25 billion. Judge Francis J. Mathew of the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe ruled on October 21, 2026, that Meta must pay the state this civil penalty in a case related to Facebook and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The decision follows an earlier jury verdict. The jury attributed 43,899,720 intentional violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act to Facebook.
Meta’s penalty was reduced from $219.4986 billion
The court initially calculated the sanction at $219.4986 billion. The calculation was based on a rate of $5,000 for each violation of the law. However, the judge reduced the final amount to $25 billion.
The judgment also sets annual interest at 15 percent until the amount is paid in full. The court has not yet ruled on the state’s request for an injunction with corrective measures.
Meta plans to challenge the decision
According to a statement to the Associated Press, Meta announced that it plans to appeal. The final enforceable amount could therefore change after the appeal; Meta may also challenge the scope of liability and the number of violations.
It has not been confirmed when or how much money New Mexico will actually receive. Claims about Facebook’s practices and harm to users should be attributed to the findings of the jury and the court; Meta disputes them.
Why the judgment matters
This is an exceptionally large judgment against a technology company in a consumer case involving personal-data protection. The case shows that state consumer-protection laws can lead to multibillion-dollar penalties over technology platforms’ public statements about how they handle personal data.
Further developments will depend on the filing and grounds of the appeal. The decision on corrective measures will also be watched, as will whether the appellate court upholds the number of violations, the amount of the penalty and the interest.
Sources
- First Judicial District Court, Santa Fe County – The filed judgment confirms the $25 billion penalty, its reduction from $219.4986 billion, 15 percent interest and the postponed decision on corrective measures.
- New Mexico Department of Justice – The state attorney general’s office confirms the announcement date, the connection to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the earlier jury verdict.
- Associated Press – Independently confirms the judge’s decision and reports Meta’s position that it plans to appeal.
Verified and updated: October 21, 2026 22:47
