New Mexico Jury Fines Meta $375 Million for Safety Mislead

A New Mexico jury ruled on Tuesday that Meta Platforms Inc. must pay $375 million in civil penalties for misleading consumers about the safety of its social media platforms and enabling harm to users, including child sexual exploitation. The verdict, delivered after a nearly seven-week trial in Santa Fe, marks the first time a jury has found the company liable for such conduct under state consumer protection laws.

The lawsuit, filed in December 2023 by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accused Meta of violating the state's Unfair Practices Act through false statements about platform safety and unconscionable trade practices that exploited children's vulnerabilities. Prosecutors presented evidence from internal company documents, employee testimony and a state sting operation called Operation MetaPhile, in which undercover agents posed as minors online and documented sexual solicitations via Meta's platforms. The operation led to the 2024 arrests of three men charged with attempting to meet children for exploitation.

Jurors determined there were thousands of violations, each carrying the maximum penalty of $5,000, though the total fell short of the $2 billion sought by the...