"This verdict is a historic victory for every child and every family."
A jury in the state of New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay a $375 million fine, determining that the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and allowed harm to users, including the sexual exploitation of children.
This is the first such trial in which the court found Meta responsible for actions taken on its platforms.
"This verdict is a historic victory for every child and every family who have paid the price for Meta's decision to prioritize profit over child safety," said New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. According to him, the company's leadership was aware of the harm its products caused to children, ignored warnings from its own employees, and lied to the public.
The lawsuit was filed by the state attorney general in December 2023 based on a two-year investigation by The Guardian, published in April of the same year: journalists uncovered how Facebook and Instagram had become platforms for child sex trafficking.
In 2021, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan were sued by former colleagues. They were accused of regularly withholding wages, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Zuckerberg himself called the accusations a provocation aimed at tarnishing his name.
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