New Mexico Jury Finds Meta Misled Consumers; Cambridge Analytica Case Enters Penalty Phase
nashnova research
A New Mexico jury found Meta misled state residents over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, sending the case to a judge who will now set the financial penalty — the state refused to join a nationwide settlement, and the final fine will test the real cost of Meta's privacy failures.
What did the jury decide?
On September 25, a Santa Fe jury ruled that Meta misled New Mexico residents.
The case stems from the Cambridge Analytica scandal — the political consultancy harvested data from up to 87 million Facebook users without consent and used it for voter profiling.
This means → the case now enters its penalty phase: Judge Francis Mathew will determine the specific monetary fine Meta must pay.
What exactly did the state accuse Meta of?
The complaint targeted three areas: how user data was shared with third parties, how the platform handled hate speech and misinformation, and whether certain users received preferential policy enforcement.
State attorneys argued Facebook never told users their data was sold to outside parties and allowed harmful content to spread when it boosted revenue.
Meta countered that the statements cited were taken out of context — the company had acknowledged privacy shortcomings in the same disclosures — and denied selling user data.
Why is this case being fought alone?
Nationally, Meta settled with 47 states, agreeing to pay up to roughly $16.7 billion over claims its platforms were designed to addict children, plus $459 million for Cambridge Analytica–related privacy violations.
New Mexico refused to join that settlement and instead pushed its case independently to a jury trial.
In plain terms = other states took the settlement money and moved on; New Mexico insisted on a courtroom verdict.
Is this the second loss in six months?
In March, a separate Santa Fe jury found Meta misled users about child safety on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The judge then ordered Meta to pay $567 million and mandated specific youth-protection measures within the state.
This means → New Mexico has now defeated Meta in court twice in a row, and the penalty in this second case will further magnify the financial impact of the state's go-it-alone litigation strategy.
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