The Washington Court of Appeals has upheld a significant judgment against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, in a case concerning campaign finance law violations. The court's decision supports Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit, which accused Meta of intentionally breaching Washington's transparency laws 822 times. As a result, Meta faces penalties totaling $24.6 million plus interest.
The three-judge panel confirmed that Meta is subject to state campaign finance regulations and rejected its arguments against these requirements. The court also denied Meta's request to reduce the imposed penalties.
In addition to the fines, the trial court mandated that Meta reimburse the Attorney General’s costs and fees, tripling them as punitive damages for intentional law violations. This additional amount sums up to $10.5 million.
Attorney General Ferguson stated, “Meta repeatedly and intentionally violated Washington campaign finance law,” emphasizing the significance of holding such corporations accountable.
Meta's appeal sought to challenge commercial advertiser transparency provisions within the law, claiming they were unconstitutional. Despite publicly advocating for election transparency, Meta failed to comply with disclosure obligations under state law.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Sipe and Deputy Solicitor General Cristina Sepe are representing the state's interests in this legal matter.
The lawsuit originated in 2020 when Ferguson accused Meta of not adhering to disclosure requirements for political ads, initially set by initiative in 1972 and later strengthened by legislation. These rules mandate advertisers maintain records about campaign ads' cost, sponsors, targeting, and reach information.
Meta had previously faced action from Ferguson's office in 2018 over similar issues. That case concluded with a consent decree requiring Meta to pay $238,000 and commit to transparency practices. However, continued non-compliance led to the current lawsuit.
Campaign finance penalties collected will be directed towards the state Public Disclosure Transparency Account as per legal stipulations.