Meta Platforms fined $375M in New Mexico

A Mexico civil jury ordered Meta Platforms to pay $375 million in damages, finding the company willfully violated the state's consumer protection law. The lawsuit, initiated by Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023, accused Meta Platforms of exposing children to sexual exploitation and deceiving users about the safety of its platforms, including Meta Platforms, Meta Platforms — Instagram, and Meta Platforms — WhatsApp. Jurors found Meta Platforms liable on 37,500 separate counts, awarding the maximum $5,000 per violation. While the award is less than the $2 billion sought by the state, it marks a significant legal defeat for Meta Platforms and is believed to be the first time a state has prevailed at trial against a major technology company over child safety claims. Meta Platforms has stated it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal. A separate bench trial in May will determine if Meta Platforms' actions created a public nuisance and if the company must implement specific changes to its platforms, such as stronger age checks and better predator removal mechanisms. This case draws parallels to tobacco industry lawsuits of the 1990s and is part of a broader wave of social media litigation, including a separate personal injury case in Los Angeles involving Meta Platforms and Alphabet Inc.'s Google — YouTube.