The North News
Chandigarh, July 18
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and several current and former top leaders of the company are on trial in a major $8 billion lawsuit filed by Meta shareholders. The case accuses them of illegally collecting Facebook user data, allegedly violating a 2012 agreement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The trial began on Wednesday in Delaware, with initial testimony from privacy expert Neil Richards of Washington University Law School, who explained Facebook’s data practices in detail.
This is a non-jury trial, presided over by Kathaleen McCormick, chief judge of the Delaware Chancery Court. High-profile figures expected to testify include Zuckerberg himself, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg, venture capitalist and board member Marc Andreessen, and ex-board members Peter Thiel (cofounder of Palantir) and Reed Hastings (cofounder of Netflix). Former White House chief of staff Jeffrey Zients, who was a Meta board member from 2018 to 2020, is also expected to take the stand. Judge McCormick known for previously overturning Elon Musk’s $56 billion Tesla pay deal will decide on liability and damages after the trial ends, which could take several months.
