Judge blocks former Meta lawyer from promoting memoir under severance arbitration ruling

In Oakland, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín refused to vacate an interim award that prevents former Facebook lawyer Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting her memoir "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism." The book details her rise to director of global public policy and alleges repeated sexual harassment by executives, which she did not report. Meta contended the publication violated a severance agreement that required arbitration, and the judge stressed that mid-arbitration intervention is generally disfavored.

Martínez-Olguín also denied a preliminary injunction, observing that Wynn-Williams had participated in arbitration for over 15 months, which she argued waived her right to challenge arbitrability. As a result, the court stayed the lawsuit and compelled arbitration. Wynn-Williams additionally accused Meta of broader corporate failings, including alleged data-sharing arrangements with the Chinese Communist Party, while Meta's spokesperson said the arbitrator had already found the book breached her agreement, which included a $780,000 severance payment.