Former Executive Sues Meta Over Attempts To 'silence' Her Memoir, 'careless People'

A erstwhile Meta executive whose memoir, “Careless People,” provides an explosive insider relationship of her clip astatine nan societal media giant, has sued nan institution for attempting to “silence” her.

The lawsuit, revenge Thursday successful national tribunal successful Northern California, claims nan tech giant’s backstage arbitration bid barring her from speaking astir nan institution aliases promoting her bestselling book is invalid. It besides argues that nan severance statement she signed erstwhile she near Meta, successful which she agreed not to disparage nan company, was done nether duress.

Sarah Wynn-Williams served arsenic head of world nationalist argumentation astatine Facebook, now operating nether genitor institution Meta Platforms Inc., from 2011 until her firing successful 2017.

“Careless People” alleges sadistic and different disturbing behaviour by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and different executives. It besides describes Zuckerberg’s alleged efforts to triumph favour pinch Chinese officials. Meta has countered that Wynn-Williams violated her statement and wrote a book filled pinch inaccuracies.

The suit says Meta is seeking $50,000 successful damages for each clip Wynn-Williams purportedly violates nan non-disparagement agreement, putting her nether financial duress. She is asking nan tribunal to assistance nan arbitration bid and vacate her severance statement pinch nan company.

Meta said successful a connection that its “former worker is trying to usage nan ineligible process to waste books, which an arbitrator already ruled collapsed nan statement she signed pinch nan institution erstwhile she accepted a ample severance costs years ago. Her book is divided from reality, disparaging and riddled pinch mendacious claims.”

Meta, according to nan lawsuit, had obtained an emergency gag bid that bars Wynn-Williams and her lawyers from criticizing nan institution aliases promoting her book. Over nan people of much than a twelvemonth since nan book was published, nan suit claims, Meta has surveilled her, pinch institution representatives attending her nationalist appearances and photographing her, “all to archive that astatine each event, Ms. Wynn-Williams said thing astir Meta aliases her book.”

Meta, nan suit says, moreover took rumor pinch Wynn-Williams attending an arts and literate show successful nan U.K. earlier this year, wherever she sat connected a sheet but remained silent — because different panelists were critics of nan company.

“Meta is pursuing Ms. Wynn-Williams astatine nan disbursal of free reside and ineligible constraints not only because she refused to front to nan greed and powerfulness of Meta, Mr. Zuckerberg, and different executives, but besides to onslaught fearfulness into nan bosom of anyone other who dares to see speaking nan truth astir Meta’s unlawful and abusive practices successful nan nationalist interest,” nan suit says.

Ortutay writes for nan Associated Press.