A New Mexico court has ordered Facebook to pay $25 billion in civil penalties. New Mexico's Department of Justice announced the order on Oct. 21, 2026, and calls it one of the largest corporate penalties in US history.
What the order says
Attorney General Raul Torrez announced a court order requiring Facebook to pay the penalties under New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act.
- Amount: $25 billion in civil penalties.
- Basis: a jury verdict that found 43,899,725 violations.
- Process: the first trial phase decided liability. The court's penalty order sets the money.
What the case was about
The case is tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It also challenged what Facebook told users about its data practices, how third parties could access user data, and how it handled misinformation and hate speech.
Meta's response
Meta plans to appeal, TechCrunch reports. It quotes chief legal officer C.J. Mahoney: "We are confident we will prevail on appeal."
A separate case
This is not the New Mexico child-safety case. In that case, a court order required Meta to pay $942 million and overhaul protections for children on Facebook and Instagram.
Why it matters
The $25 billion is a court order that Meta says it will appeal.
For related reading on Facebook and Meta, see Facebook's Your algorithm setting for Feed and Reels and Meta's commercial terms and AI training.
