The Largest Commercial Judgment in U.S. History
DiCello Levitt Trial Team Secured Nearly 44 Million Willful Violations, the Most Ever Found by a U.S. Jury Under a Consumer Protection Law
First and Only Jury Verdict Holding Meta Accountable for the Cambridge Analytica Scandal
SANTA FE, N.M. —A New Mexico court today entered a historic $25 billion judgment against Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook, after calculating nearly $219.5 billion in civil penalties for violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act. The ruling represents the largest commercial judgment in U.S. history.
In an order issued today, Judge Francis J. Mathew calculated civil penalties totaling $219,498,600,000 before reducing the final judgment to $25 billion. The ruling follows a landmark jury verdict finding nearly 44 million willful violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection law—the largest number of such violations ever found by an American jury.
The verdict also marked the first and only time a jury has held Meta accountable for conduct arising from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, establishing a new benchmark for consumer protection and Big Tech accountability.
The State of New Mexico was represented at trial by lead counsel from DiCello Levitt LLP and McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers P.A.
“For half a decade, we’ve fought to hold one of the world’s most powerful technology companies accountable,” said Partner Corban S. Rhodes, who led DiCello Levitt’s trial team. “This case was about more than Facebook’s broken promises. It was about whether a company of this size and influence could be made to answer for them. Nearly 44 million violations and a $25 billion judgment later, we have our answer. This is a defining moment for consumer protection and privacy.”
“This is a historic day for New Mexico and for consumers across the country,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “For too long, powerful technology companies have operated as though their size and influence put them beyond the reach of the law. A New Mexico jury found nearly 44 million violations of our consumer protection statute, and this penalty order demonstrates that those violations carry real consequences. We took on one of the largest companies in the world because New Mexicans deserve honesty, accountability, and the protection of their personal information. Today’s result makes clear that no corporation is too powerful to be held accountable.”
The historic penalty follows the jury’s September 25 verdict finding that Facebook made false or misleading statements to New Mexico consumers about how it collected, protected, shared, and used personal information. The findings also addressed Facebook’s handling of misinformation and hate speech, as well as its response to third-party applications following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Watershed Verdict Establishes New Benchmark for Consumer Protection
While other states resolved Cambridge Analytica-related claims through multistate settlements, New Mexico took its case to trial and won. The result sets a new benchmark for holding Big Tech accountable under state consumer protection laws.
“New Mexico has charted a path for states across the country to follow,” said Adam J. Levitt, Founding Partner of DiCello Levitt. “The State and our trial team were fearless, going toe-to-toe with one of the world’s most powerful technology companies and winning. The reverberations of this victory will extend far beyond New Mexico, reshaping how states use consumer protection laws to hold Big Tech accountable.”
Jurors found willful violations across 26 topics, including Facebook’s representations about consumers’ control over personal information, third-party access to user data, and efforts to combat misinformation and hate speech. The findings extended well beyond data privacy, exposing deceptive practices across the company’s operations.
Holding Big Tech Accountable
The verdict and resulting judgment come amid growing scrutiny of how major technology platforms handle personal information and whether their pursuit of growth and innovation has come at the expense of consumer privacy and safety.
“For too long, Big Tech has operated under the mantra of ‘move fast and break things,’ as though innovation excuses the harm left behind,” said Partner Amy Keller, Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Privacy, Technology, and Cybersecurity Litigation Practice Group. “Consumer privacy and safety are not collateral damage. Companies cannot mislead the public about how their platforms operate and expect to escape accountability simply because of their size or influence.”
Notably, the trial also brought previously confidential corporate records into the public domain. More than 100 exhibits, including internal Facebook communications, investigative materials, and extensive datasets, became part of the public trial record. Many had never been publicly disclosed. Together, they offer a rare look inside one of the world’s most influential technology companies and new opportunities to scrutinize its practices.
Landmark Judgment Could Transform Public Education in New Mexico
The $25 billion judgment could have a transformative impact on New Mexico families. Civil penalties recovered by the state would benefit its current school fund, potentially providing billions of dollars to support public education and expand opportunities for students statewide.
Award-Winning Trial Team
DiCello Levitt has been at the forefront of the litigation since filing the original complaint on behalf of New Mexico in January 2021, leading the case through trial and securing the historic judgment.
Corban S. Rhodes led the DiCello Levitt team, which included Founding Partner Adam J. Levitt, Partner Amy Keller, Partner Daniel R. Schwartz, Partner J. Gordon Bergstresser, Associate Emma Bruder, Associate Rebecca Trickey, and Paralegal Erin Kerrane.
From McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers P.A., the trial team included Partner Randi McGinn and Associate Jeremy Peña.
The case is State of New Mexico v. Facebook Inc., Case No. D-101-CV-2021-00132, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico, County of Santa Fe.
DiCello Levitt’s Privacy, Technology, and Cybersecurity Litigation Practice Group represents consumers and public clients in high-stakes cases involving data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms. In 2026, the firm received The National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyers Award for Technology (Including AI). Its powerhouse Public Client Practice Group represents state and local governments in precedent-setting litigation involving consumer protection, public health and safety, emerging technologies, and environmental harms.
About DiCello Levitt
DiCello Levitt LLP is one of the leading plaintiffs’ law firms in the United States. Nationally recognized for our work in high-stakes public entity litigation, class actions, mass torts, and complex litigation, we have recovered more than $25 billion for clients, including individuals, businesses, and communities. We take on some of the world’s most powerful interests, pursuing justice that reshapes industries and improves lives.
Built for trial, DiCello Levitt is among the few plaintiffs’ firms with a dedicated trial center, where our acclaimed trial lawyers bring both art and science to courtroom preparation and trial strategy. We are frequently appointed to lead major multidistrict litigation (MDLs) and consistently recognized among the nation’s top plaintiffs’ firms by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and The National Law Journal, which has named DiCello Levitt Plaintiffs’ Firm of the Year and Trial Strategy Innovation Firm of the Year.
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