Motley Rice May Earn $67 Million in Meta Lawsuit

Law firm Motley Rice stands to earn up to $67.1 million in legal fees for representing New Mexico in a lawsuit against Meta Platforms. The potential payout follows a judicial order requiring Meta to pay $567 million for fostering social media addiction and other harms, which combines with $375 million in civil penalties issued by a jury in March.

These combined awards bring New Mexico's potential total recovery to over $942 million. Under a 2024 contingency contract, Motley Rice's fees are scaled to the final payout, potentially totaling 7% of the recovery. The firm must formally petition the court for these fees once all appeals are concluded, and Meta has already announced its intention to appeal the decisions.

Lauren Rodriguez, Chief of Staff to the New Mexico Attorney General, defended the fee structure as being well below historical averages for complex state-led litigation. The New Mexico Department of Justice credited the law firm's work in achieving the result for the state.