Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion in Damages Over Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal
nashnova research
A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties over the Cambridge Analytica data-privacy case — the largest single-state judgment against the company — escalating its legal-cost exposure once again.
Where does the $25 billion figure come from?
A jury found Meta misled New Mexico residents on how it protected and collected user data and how it prevented harmful content, identifying over 43 million violations of the state's unfair-practices act.
Each violation carries a civil penalty of up to $5,000. The state sought $219.5 billion; the judge reduced the award to $25 billion.
This means → even after a steep cut, the final figure is 34 times the $725 million Meta paid to settle a class action over the same scandal — a completely different order of magnitude.
Why did New Mexico go it alone?
In August, Meta reached a roughly $17 billion federal settlement with a group of state attorneys general over children's safety and mental-health issues. New Mexico refused to join.
Former AG Hector Balderas filed the case in 2021; current AG Raúl Torrez led the trial.
In plain terms = New Mexico decided the federal deal was too low and bet on a bigger number in its own courtroom.
What was the Cambridge Analytica scandal?
The core allegation, exposed in 2018: political consultancy Cambridge Analytica — a firm that used social-media data to micro-target political ads — improperly harvested data from roughly 87 million Facebook users.
The breach triggered broad scrutiny of Facebook's data practices. Meta settled a separate class action tied to the same scandal for $725 million in 2022.
This reflects a single scandal still generating legal consequences seven years later — Meta has not been able to close the chapter.
What other legal trouble does Meta face in New Mexico?
In March, a jury in a separate children's-safety case ordered Meta to pay $375 million; the judge later raised the total to $567 million for a compensation fund. Meta said it will appeal.
The $25 billion judgment also faces appeal. Whether it survives is the key marker for gauging Meta's legal-cost trajectory.
This means → a single state could account for more than $25 billion in legal bills. If other states follow New Mexico's lead — rejecting federal settlements and litigating independently — Meta's legal exposure is far from capped.
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