Meta’s $25 billion legal loss just put blood in the water

<figure> <img alt="Mark Zuckerberg seen through the window of a black SUV." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/STKS507_FTCxMETA_ANTITRUST_CVIRGINIA_4_D.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">When attorneys general from across the US <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/985032/meta-state-ag-kids-online-safety-settlement">announced a $17 billion settlement</a> with Meta this summer, the sum was unprecedented. But a ruling last week by a New Mexico judge blew that number out of the water. The judge <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/1015782/meta-new-mexico-cambridge-analytica-penalty">ordered Meta to pay $25 billion</a> to resolve claims that Meta misled users around the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal and related incidents. Similar claims were resolved by the settlement with most other states. The outcome raised an obvious question: Should these states have asked for more?</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The answer depends on a mix of factors, including whether the $25 billion order stands up to Meta's legal challenges. Meta's chief legal of …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/1019604/new-mexico-meta-cambridge-analytica-kids-safety-settlement">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>