Washington Supreme Court Upholds $35 Million Penalty Against Meta
Justices said the disclosure law gives voters needed information and left the lower court’s $35.2 million penalty against Meta in place.
- On Thursday, the Washington State Supreme Court affirmed a more than $35 million fine against Meta Platforms Inc. for repeatedly violating state campaign finance laws through inadequate political ad disclosures.
- State prosecutors sued Meta in 2020, alleging the company intentionally violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act 822 times; Meta argued the law was unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
- Writing for the lead opinion, Justice Helen Whitener called Meta a "willful repeat offender with vast resources," though the nine justices split into three groups without reaching consensus on fine calculation.
- Because the court yielded no clear majority to overturn the lower court's judgment, the $35.2 million penalty remains in effect. Aaron Simpson, Meta spokesperson, said the company is "disappointed" and evaluating the decision.
- Meta previously prohibited political ads targeted to Washington, citing compliance burdens, as other tech companies like Google have similarly exited the state's political advertising market over disclosure requirements.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Washington Supreme Court Upholds $35.2 Million Fine Against Meta
The Washington State Supreme Court has upheld a $35.2 million penalty against Meta Platforms, concluding a years-long legal battle over the company's compliance with state campaign finance disclosure requirements for political advertising. The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Washington state prosecutors in 2020, alleging that Meta repeatedly failed to meet disclosure obligations required under the state's Fair Campaign Practices Act. 💡Pros…
The Columbian
The Seattle TimesWA Supreme Court upholds $35M fine against Meta
A split Washington Supreme Court on Thursday upheld both Washington’s bedrock campaign finance law and a more than $35 million fine against Meta for repeatedly violating that law. Read more...
Washington Supreme Court upholds $35 million penalty against Meta
OLYMPIA, Wash. (CN) — Washington state’s high court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling against Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, leaving the social media giant with a $35 million judgment. Meta Platforms took the case to the state Supreme Court from its start in King County Superior Court, where the social media platform initially lost. The state sued Meta in 2020 over violations of the Fair Campaign Practices Act, arguing it hadn’t …
The Center Square
Washington high court upholds $35 million campaign finance penalty against Meta
(The Center Square) – The Washington State Supreme Court affirmed a $35.2 million penalty against Meta Platforms Inc. on Thursday, ruling that the social media giant violated state campaign finance
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