Meta New Mexico verdict: 43.9M violations, up to $219B
The Meta New Mexico verdict found 43.9 million violations of state law. How the jury counted, why $219B is only the ceiling, and what the judge decides next.
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The Meta New Mexico verdict is in: on Friday, September 25, 2026, a jury in Santa Fe found that Facebook broke the state's consumer protection law by misleading people about their privacy, misinformation, hate speech and its response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The jury counted 43,899,720 violations. The state wants the maximum of $5,000 for each one, about $219.5 billion, but a judge sets the actual penalty, and as of September 26 nothing has been decided.
Key takeaways
- The jury found liability; the money is still pending. District Judge Francis Mathew decides how much Meta pays per violation, up to $5,000, and whether Meta must change how it operates in New Mexico. The AP reports a penalty hearing on October 1.
- The count comes from 26 public statements multiplied by how many New Mexicans each one reached, according to the verdict breakdown reported by PPC Land.
- $219.5 billion is a ceiling the state asked for, not a likely bill. The law says "not exceeding" $5,000 per violation, so the judge can go lower.
- Meta says it disagrees with the verdict and will keep defending itself. It has not announced an appeal as of September 26, 2026.
- Facebook users don't get a check. The attorney general says any money goes to a state education fund.
What the jury decided
The case was filed in 2021 under then-Attorney General Hector Balderas and jury selection began on September 8, 2026, PPC Land reports. After two weeks, jurors found that Meta violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act with what it told people about Facebook privacy and moderation. The state's Department of Justice announced that Facebook "faces billions in potential civil penalties".
The jury reviewed public statements by Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg and other executives in five groups, nm.news reports: users' control of their data, misinformation, hate speech, equal enforcement of Facebook's rules, and the investigation Meta promised after Cambridge Analytica. That scandal involved a personality quiz app whose data ended up with the political consulting firm. In 2018, Facebook said the information of "up to 87 million people" may have been improperly shared with it.
How the jury reached 43.9 million violations
The count isn't one violation per user. According to PPC Land's breakdown, jurors counted each misleading statement once for every New Mexican it reached:
| Where | Violations each | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| 11 statements in outside news outlets | 2,100,000 | 23,100,000 |
| 15 statements on Facebook's own channels | 1,386,648 | 20,799,720 |
| Total: 26 statements | 43,899,720 |
PPC Land reads the first figure as the state's whole population and the second as New Mexico's Facebook users. The statements date from 2010 to 2022.
Reports don't all match. An early CBS News report put the count at more than 2 million, roughly the state's population. Fortune and the AP report more than 43 million. PPC Land also notes that the state's own release gives 43,899,725, five more than the verdict tally. We use 43,899,720 because the per-statement math adds up to it exactly.
Why $219 billion is only the ceiling
New Mexico's civil penalty statute lets the attorney general recover "not exceeding" $5,000 per violation when the court finds the conduct willful. The state asked for the top rate: 43,899,720 times $5,000 is about $219.5 billion.
The judge can pick any amount up to that cap. For scale, our own arithmetic: every $1,000 per violation equals about $43.9 billion. None of the reports we read predicts where Judge Mathew will land. Law professor Peter Ormerod told Fortune the penalty is "unlikely" to "effectively penalize the company in a meaningful way," given how profitable Meta is.
What happens next
- Penalty hearing. Fortune and the AP report a hearing on October 1. Attorney General Raúl Torrez expects a ruling "within weeks," nm.news reports.
- An injunction. The state also wants the court to order Meta to change its practices in New Mexico.
- A possible appeal. Meta said in a statement that it will "continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record" and cited its First Amendment right to run its platforms. Meta hasn't said it will appeal. Torrez said an appeal could take two to three years, with post-judgment interest adding up.
It isn't New Mexico's first win against Meta. A court earlier ordered Meta to pay $942 million in a child safety case. According to Engadget, this case is separate from the $18 billion multistate settlement that New Mexico declined to join.
What the Meta New Mexico verdict means for Facebook users
If you live in New Mexico, you won't get a payment from this case. Torrez said any money goes to a state education fund. Any practical change would come from the injunction, if the judge grants one.
Outside New Mexico, nothing changes today. This is a verdict under New Mexico law, and the injunction the state wants would cover Meta's practices there. Our inference: other states can study how this jury counted violations, but a jury verdict in one state doesn't bind courts in another. If you want to check how Meta handles your data now, our look at Meta's privacy claims for its Muse assistant is a good place to start, and you can review which third-party apps are connected to your Facebook account in its settings. More coverage lives in our tech section.
Bottom line
The Meta New Mexico verdict says the company misled New Mexicans 43,899,720 times. How much that costs is still open: $219.5 billion is the most the law allows, not a bill. Watch the October 1 hearing, Judge Mathew's ruling in the weeks after, and whether Meta appeals.
FAQ
How much does Meta have to pay New Mexico?
Nothing yet. Judge Francis Mathew sets the penalty, up to $5,000 per violation. At the maximum that's about $219.5 billion, but he can choose a lower amount.
Is Meta appealing the verdict?
Meta says it disagrees and will keep defending itself, but it hasn't announced an appeal as of September 26, 2026. Torrez says an appeal could take two to three years.
Do Facebook users get money from the verdict?
No. This is a civil penalty case brought by the state, not a class action. The attorney general says the money would go to New Mexico's education fund.