GoKawiilNew Mexico jury orders Meta to pay $25 billion over Cambridge Analytica claims
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company misled users about data protection and content moderation, stemming from the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. That figure dwarfs the $17 billion multistate settlement Meta reached with other attorneys general this summer, and far exceeds the roughly $459 million paid under a related children's online safety settlement. Meta's chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney said the company will appeal, calling the lawsuit an attempt to impose 'a tax on speech.'
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Stanford's Daphne Keller suggests the ruling could prompt attorneys general who already settled to regret waiving claims, and may encourage individuals, school districts and tribes with pending cases to keep litigating rather than settle cheaply. If the $25 billion figure survives Meta's appeal, it could reshape expectations for how much tech companies may owe in similar privacy and misinformation disputes going forward.
- A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $25 billion over Cambridge Analytica-related misconduct claims.
- The sum vastly exceeds the $17 billion multistate settlement and $459 million related settlement reached earlier this year.
- Meta plans to appeal, while legal observers say the verdict may embolden other plaintiffs to pursue larger payouts.
Source: theverge.com — Lauren Feiner, 2026-10-27
Published there as: “Meta’s $25 billion legal loss just put blood in the water”
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