Meta Platforms shares rose after reports of a proposed $17 billion settlement with state attorneys general, payable over 10 years, in a case involving alleged harms to minors and consumer-protection violations. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers must approve the agreement. Future Fund Managing Partner Gary Black said the settlement removes a major legal overhang (an uncertainty weighing on a stock) and the risk of an adverse verdict that could have approached $1.4 trillion, roughly Meta’s market capitalization. He warned, however, that potentially thousands of individual lawsuits could remain unless a settlement class action (a case resolving claims for a defined group) is structured to cover them. The agreement would also require Meta to change aspects of its platforms for minors. Meta denied designing its apps to be addictive, knowing about addiction risks or illegally collecting minors’ data. Its shares were up 1.9% at $580.78 Wednesday, after reaching $593.34 intraday, and were down 10.7% year-to-date in 2026.