Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion in New Mexico Case Tied to Cambridge Analytica, Reports Say

A judge has ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to the State of New Mexico, according to TechCrunch, which cited The New York Times. The ruling came on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, and TechCrunch described it as the largest payout in the company's history.

What the case covered

The ruling followed a two-week trial, after which a New Mexico jury deliberated. TechCrunch reported that the jury found 43 million violations of the state's consumer protection laws. Part of the case concerned how Meta handled a third-party app connected to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, according to The Wall Street Journal as cited by TechCrunch. Other portions addressed Meta's data privacy policies and its efforts to limit misinformation.

Cambridge Analytica grew out of SLC Group, a British defense contractor that specialized in influence operations. The firm worked with the Trump campaign during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Reactions

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez told reporters at a press conference: "We may have paid for the construction of schools for the next 100 years."

Meta said it will appeal. Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the company is "confident we will prevail on appeal," and argued the lawsuit "seeks to impose a tax on speech."

What is not yet known

The TechCrunch report did not name the court or the judge, and it did not detail how the $25 billion figure was calculated. Those points, and any schedule for the appeal, were not available in the reporting reviewed.

Context

• Process: An appeal could change or delay the outcome, and the company has not said whether it will seek to pause payment.
• Source note: The details above come from TechCrunch's summary of reporting by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Court documents were not reviewed for this article.

This article will be updated if the court or the parties publish further details.