Meta’s former COO Sheryl Sandberg sanctioned by Delaware judge over alleged email deletions

Just days after being dumped by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is now facing sanctions from a Delaware judge for allegedly deleting emails related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The sanctions come as part of a shareholder lawsuit filed late last year against Sandberg and former Meta board member Jeff Zients, accusing them of using personal email accounts to discuss Facebook's privacy practices, in violation of the law and their fiduciary duties.

According to a report by TechCrunch, shareholders accused Sandberg and Zients of using personal email accounts, including Gmail, to discuss Facebook's privacy issues, allegedly violating their legal responsibilities and duties to the company.

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Ruling suggested that Sandberg selectively deleted emails 

The lawsuit further claims that emails were deleted from these personal accounts even after a court order mandated their preservation. The judge found these allegations credible, highlighting that Sandberg used a personal Gmail account under an alias to discuss the case.

A court ruling also cited inconsistencies in Sandberg's responses to questions from the plaintiffs, suggesting that she selectively deleted emails rather than relying on automatic deletion settings.

The judge raised the standard of proof for Sandberg’s defence, now requiring “clear and convincing” evidence instead of the usual “preponderance of the evidence.” 

As a result, the judge raised the standard of proof for Sandberg's defence, now requiring "clear and convincing" evidence instead of the usual "preponderance of the evidence." The court has ordered that certain legal costs be covered for the plaintiffs. In response, a spokesperson for Sheryl Sandberg denied the allegations, stating: "All work emails were preserved on Facebook's servers."

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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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Sandberg's role at Meta and public perception

Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 as COO and played a key role in transforming the company into a profitable entity through its advertising business. In 2012, she became the first woman to join Facebook's board of directors. Before her tenure at Meta, Sandberg served as Vice President of global online sales and operations at Google and worked at the U.S. Treasury Department under Lawrence Summers.

(With inputs from agencies)