A judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to the state on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, after a jury found that the company had committed 43 million violations of state consumer protection laws. The order directs Meta to pay the sum to the State of New Mexico. TechCrunch, citing reporting by The New York Times, described it as the largest payout in the company’s history. Meta said it will appeal the Meta $25 billion order.
The Meta $25 billion case followed a two-week trial, after which the jury deliberated before delivering its verdict. Part of the case concerned a third-party app connected to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, according to The Wall Street Journal as cited by TechCrunch. Other portions of the case addressed Meta’s data privacy policies and the company’s efforts to limit misinformation on its platforms.
The TechCrunch report did not name the court or the judge who issued the order, and it did not explain how jurors arrived at 43 million violations or how that count produced a $25 billion figure. The report also did not describe how the jury’s count of violations translated into the total. No court documents were reviewed in the reporting available so far. That gap leaves the mechanics of the Meta $25 billion verdict unclear to the public, and no schedule for the appeal has been announced.
The details reported so far come from TechCrunch’s summary of reporting by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Court documents were not reviewed in that reporting. The TechCrunch article said it will be updated if the court or the parties publish further details.
What the Meta $25 billion case covered
At the heart of the dispute sits the Cambridge Analytica episode, which dates to the 2016 United States presidential election. Cambridge Analytica grew out of SLC Group, a British defense contractor that specialized in influence operations, and the firm worked with the Trump campaign during that election. The New Mexico case examined a third-party app tied to the scandal and how Meta handled user data connected to it.
Jurors concluded that Meta violated New Mexico’s consumer protection laws 43 million times, covering the company’s data practices and the privacy statements it made to users. The Meta $25 billion order followed that verdict. Because the court documents have not been published, the public still does not know how each violation was counted or priced.
Meta $25 billion reactions: New Mexico hails verdict, Meta plans appeal
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the verdict at a press conference. “We may have paid for the construction of schools for the next 100 years,” he told reporters, pointing to what the payout could mean for the state’s budget. Torrez led the state’s action against the company.
Meta answered that it will appeal. Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is “confident we will prevail on appeal” and argued the lawsuit “seeks to impose a tax on speech.” That claim outlines the argument Meta plans to bring before a higher court as it challenges the Meta $25 billion ruling.
Until a higher court weighs in, the order remains one of the largest judgments ever imposed on a technology company in the United States. Meta has not said whether it will ask a court to pause the payment while the case moves forward.
What remains unclear in the Meta $25 billion ruling
Several details are still missing from the public record. The reports did not name the court or the judge, did not describe the formula behind the $25 billion total, and did not say when the appeal will be heard. The Meta $25 billion ruling could be modified, reduced or overturned as it moves through the courts.
Whether New Mexico collects the full amount depends on the appeal, which Meta has said it will file. The appeal could change the outcome or delay any payment.