A New Mexico jury discovered Meta liable Tuesday for deceptive customers in regards to the security of its platforms and endangering kids.

Meta has been ordered to pay the utmost penalties for every violation of New Mexico’s client safety legal guidelines, amounting to $375 million.

“Meta executives knew their merchandise harmed kids, disregarded warnings from their very own workers, and lied to the general public about what they knew,” New Mexico Lawyer Common Raúl Torrez stated in a press release. “The substantial damages the jury ordered Meta to pay ought to ship a transparent message to massive tech executives that no firm is past the attain of the regulation.”

Meta, which owns the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, plans to attraction the jury’s resolution.

“We are going to proceed to defend ourselves vigorously, and we stay assured in our file of defending teenagers on-line,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated in a statement to the New York Times.

New Mexico’s Division of Justice launched an investigation into Meta platforms in 2023 in an effort to defend kids from dangerous actors who sought to sexually abuse or solicit minors, amongst different harms. The state’s proof included findings from that investigation, along with inner Meta paperwork and testimony from former Meta workers, baby security consultants, regulation enforcement officers, and others.

The state argued that Meta’s design options helped pedophiles sexually exploit kids on Meta platforms.

The loss is Meta’s first in plenty of trials happening this yr. In Los Angeles, Meta and YouTube are on trial for allegedly designing addictive products for minors. Snapchat and TikTok have been a part of that trial however settled out of court.