A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms violated the United States law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp and of enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms.
After deliberating less than a day, the jury found that Meta violated New Mexico’s consumer protection law and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties.
The verdict marks the first time a jury has ruled on such claims against Meta, as the company faces a wave of lawsuits over how its platforms affect young people’s mental health.
Meta said in a statement: “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal.
“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.”
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In a statement, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, called the verdict “a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety.”
“The substantial damages the jury ordered Meta to pay should send a clear message to big tech executives that no company is beyond the reach of the law,” Torrez said.
In a second phase of the trial in May, Torrez said his office will ask the court to order Meta to make changes to its platforms to protect children and to impose additional financial penalties.
The company’s shares were up 0.8% in after-hours trade following the verdict. The state had asked the jury to award more than $2 billion in damages.
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