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A New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for 43,899,725 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, but it did not decide how much the company must pay. The law allows a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per willful violation, making $219,498,625,000 the theoretical maximum based on the jury’s count—not an award or a reliable forecast. The judge determines the actual penalty.
What the jury found
The New Mexico Department of Justice says jurors found 43,899,725 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act (UPA). The case concerned Facebook’s statements and practices, including claims about how it collected, protected, shared, and used personal information; statements about misinformation and hate speech; and its investigation of third-party apps after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The verdict was against Facebook, which is owned by Meta. New Mexico Department of Justice; Associated Press
The 43.9 million figure is a count of legal violations based on deceptive statements and practices. It is not a count of harmful posts, content removals, or individual Facebook users. The state DOJ says the jury found some content-related statements willfully deceptive, while AP reports jurors did not find the state had proved certain claims that Facebook falsely said it removed harmful content. The verdict therefore does not mean every allegation succeeded or that 43 million offending posts were identified. New Mexico Department of Justice; Associated Press
How much could Facebook owe?
The UPA permits a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each willful violation, according to the New Mexico DOJ. Applying that maximum to the jury’s count produces this arithmetic:
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43,899,725 violations × $5,000 = $219,498,625,000
That is a statutory ceiling calculated from the count and cap, not an amount the jury awarded or a sum Facebook has been ordered to pay. The judge has discretion to set the actual penalty. The DOJ said penalties would be determined in a later phase. AP reported on September 25, 2026, that a penalty hearing was scheduled for October 1, 2026; the reviewed reports do not establish a post-hearing ruling or final amount. New Mexico Department of Justice; Associated Press
What the case concerns
New Mexico brought the case over Facebook’s statements to consumers in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and broader claims about the handling and use of personal information. AP reports that a third-party personality quiz harvested data from roughly 87 million Facebook profiles for Cambridge Analytica, which used the information to build targeted advertising profiles. The state’s pretrial announcement described claims involving the data breach and alleged misuse of user information, and said it sought injunctive relief and maximum civil penalties. Associated Press; New Mexico Department of Justice
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Attorney General Raúl Torrez characterized the verdict this way: “For years, Facebook operated as if the rules that apply to everyone else didn’t apply to them. Today, a jury of New Mexicans said otherwise.” That is the attorney general’s statement about the result, not a description of the eventual penalty. New Mexico Department of Justice
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Meta disputes the verdict
AP reported that Facebook denied the state’s claims and argued its policies had changed since the state filed suit in 2021. Meta spokesperson Alex Burgos told AP: “We disagree with the verdict and will continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record.” Associated Press
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Peter Ormerod, an associate professor of law at Villanova University, told AP: “It’s unlikely that this is going to be the case that effectively penalizes the company in a meaningful way.” That is his assessment, not a court finding or a confirmed prediction of the penalty. Associated Press
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do not confuse this with New Mexico’s separate Meta case
New Mexico also brought a separate child-safety case against Meta, which produced a March 2026 verdict. The DOJ says that proceeding involved 75,000 violations and a $375 million civil penalty, with a later combined financial outcome of $942 million and court-ordered reforms. Those figures belong to the child-safety case, not the September Facebook privacy verdict. New Mexico Department of Justice
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