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A jury has reached a verdict in a major New Mexico trial in which the state’s attorney general alleged that Meta
failed to safeguard its family of apps from child predators.
The civil trial, in which opening arguments began on Feb. 9 in a Santa Fe courthouse, centers on allegations that Meta violated state consumer protections laws and misled residents about the safety of apps like Facebook and Instagram. New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023 following an undercover operation involving the creation of a fake social media profile of a 13-year-old girl that he previously told CNBC “was simply inundated with images and targeted solicitations” from child abusers.
Deliberations began Monday, and jurors were tasked with ruling in favor or against the defendant Meta. The jury ultimately decided that Meta should pay $375 million in damages.
