A court filing on Friday revealed that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg must be prepared to answer questions in an antitrust suit. The lawsuit claims that the tech giant misled users and advertisers by implementing deceptive measures regarding data protection to maintain their market power, reported Reuters.
Lawyers representing Meta are reportedly seeking the deposition of two additional executives in their lawsuit with California federal court. Plaintiffs have alleged that Meta employed deceptive data collection and use practices, as well as engaging in anticompetitive conduct related to Facebook which caused higher prices for advertisers.
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Zuckerberg’s deposition has not been scheduled, the filing said, and Sandberg is set to sit for questioning on May 2. Meta has denied the lawsuit’s allegations.
In Friday’s filing, Meta’s attorneys agreed to present Zuckerberg and other leaders for a limited amount of time, although they said it would have been “justified” to “block these depositions outright.”Plaintiffs’ attorneys in the case have argued that Zuckerberg and Sandberg possess exclusive data related to data collection and utilization practices relevant to the prosecution. Counsel for Meta, who are also representing Sandberg, sought to dispute this claim. The pending legal battle, composed of approximately twelve joint cases, calls for monetary damages along with other remedies without stipulating specific amounts.
In a decision issued on Friday, US District Judge James Donato of the San Francisco federal court ruled that both Mark Zuckerberg and board director Sheryl Sandberg must face three-hour interrogations in an ongoing lawsuit. Despite objections from defendants, the ruling allows plaintiffs to pursue their case in a more thorough manner.
