The jury's verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta's choice to put profits over kids' safety. Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew.
Late last month, Napa County Superior Court Judge Mark Boessenecker finalized his Nov. 3 judgment against Hoopes Family Winery Partners LP, Hoopes Vineyard LLC and owner Lindsay Hoopes following a trial in early 2025. That converted a preliminary injunction from earlier in the year into a permanent injunction. The total award includes $1.53 million in civil penalties ($1,250 a day for 1,220 days), $2.25 million in attorney's fees, $111,230 in abatement costs and almost $70,000 in statutory costs.
A Ventura County animal sanctuary has been ordered to pay more than $50,000 in penalties and other fees for housing exotic animals without permits. The sanctuary, Born to Be Free in Frazier Park, was found to be in possession of African lions, leopards, warthogs, a European brown bear, a serval, a fishing cat, a leopard-tiger hybrid, a lion-tiger hybrid and a wolf-dog hybrid, the Ventura County district attorney's office said in a news release.
The owner of Augustina's Designer Boutique and Austina Leathers in Carmel has been unlawfully selling new fur products and must pay $150,000 in civil penalties, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's office. The investigation began after a consumer complaint was filed with the California Department of Fish and Wild. The District Attorney's Environmental Protection Unit found that Tracy Odle, the owner of Augustina's Designer Boutique and Austina Leathers, was selling new fur products in violation of California's Fish and Game Code.