New Mexico Seeks Record $40 Billion Fine Against Meta
13.10.2026

New Mexico is asking the court to fine Meta $40 billion. Yes, nine zeros — a verdict like that would be the largest in U.S. judicial history.

The core of the case: a jury has already found that Meta violated the state's consumer protection law — a staggering 43 million times. According to the prosecution, the company and its top executives lied to the state's residents for years about their hate speech policies and data protection promises — dating back to the Cambridge Analytica leak, which is nearly a decade old now.

The law allows fines of $5,000 per violation. Multiplied out, that gives a theoretical maximum of $219 billion. State attorney Randi McGinn chose a more modest figure — $35-40 billion — explaining elegantly that the maximum would wave a red flag in front of the appeals court. But her line about the only language Meta understands — "money and stock price" — already deserves a spot on the cover of a corporate law textbook.

Meta's lawyer called the proceedings "surreal" and "mind-boggling" in response. The argument is simple: the state hasn't produced a single real person who actually saw these allegedly deceptive statements or was harmed by them. 43 million violations — and they forgot to produce any victims.

The judge didn't seem impressed by Meta's arguments. When the company tried to cite smaller figures from past settlements, he noted that those were negotiated agreements, not a trial. "When it comes to trial, they roll the dice."

For comparison, here's what Meta has paid in the past: $5 billion to the FTC in 2019, $725 million in a 2022 class action settlement, and $459 million this summer in a settlement with 46 states — which, notably, didn't include New Mexico. Apparently, it decided not to sell itself short.

The judge's ruling is expected within three weeks. A public flogging or a dud — we'll find out soon.

Source: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/new-mexico-seeks-40-billion-penalty-from-meta-in-historic-trial