Meta’s former COO Sheryl Sandberg gets court notice over alleged email deletions
Sheryl Sandberg, Meta's ex-COO, was sanctioned by a Delaware judge for allegedly deleting emails related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, despite a court order to preserve them.
FollowSheryl Sandberg, Meta's former COO, is facing another challenge after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg blamed her for the company's wrong policies. A Delaware judge has now sanctioned Sandberg for allegedly deleting emails related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The issue stems from a shareholder lawsuit filed against Sandberg and former Meta board member Jeff Zients. The plaintiffs claim that Sandberg and Zients used personal email accounts to discuss matters related to a 2018 lawsuit, accusing Facebook leaders of violating user privacy laws. Despite a court order, they allegedly deleted emails from these personal accounts.
The judge found these allegations credible, noting that Sandberg used a personal Gmail account under a pseudonym for relevant communications. The judge also pointed out inconsistencies in Sandberg's responses, suggesting selective deletion of emails.
As a result, the judge has raised the burden of proof for Sandberg's defense, requiring "clear and convincing" evidence, a higher standard than usual. The judge also awarded expenses to the plaintiffs.
Sandberg's spokesperson maintains that the claims are without merit, stating that all work emails were preserved on Facebook's servers. At the heart of the lawsuit is Meta's alleged violation of a 2012 FTC order, which prohibited the company from collecting and sharing user data without consent.
The company's actions, including selling data to Cambridge Analytica, have already resulted in a $5 billion fine from the FTC in 2019, as well as penalties from European regulators.
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