Kelly Stonelake, former director of Meta, has filed a lawsuit against a company claiming sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit cited by TechCrunch was filed in Washington. The lawsuit alleges that Stonelake experienced gender-based discrimination and harassment during his 15-year tenure in Meta, previously known as Facebook. Stonelake accused Meta of failing to deal with reports of sexual harassment and claims it is dangerous and unsafe for minors after flagging the video game. She also claims that it was consistently overlooked due to promotions in favor of male colleagues.
Stonelake, who was fired in January 2024, has been on extended medical leave for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is attributed to Meta’s discriminatory environment. She continues to receive treatment, as stated in a lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court. Mehta declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the ongoing lawsuit.
The lawsuit details the harassment and retaliation incident that began at an early company event in 2009. She hesitated to report the incident, fearing inaction. In 2011, her manager allegedly tried to force her into a sexual relationship. After refusing, Stonelake claims that she was denied promotion and that her manager was not faced with any impact. Meta’s transfer to the Seattle office in 2012 and his ultimate promotion to director in 2017 did not end discrimination among suspects.
During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, Stonelake confronted his manager by using the Blue Lives Matter symbol on his Facebook profile. She reported his racially charged comments to HR, but claims that no action was taken. She further claims that the male colleagues were taken over for promotion while they were moving forward.
In 2022, Stonelake moved to Meta’s Reality Labs, overseeing marketing for Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality social platform. She raised concerns about the platform’s safety and content moderation, reporting that black avatars faced racial slander during internal testing. After expressing these concerns, Stonelake claims that she was removed from the meeting and refused another promotion in January 2023. She was then taken emergency medical leave due to PTSD and suicidal ideation and was later fired during company-wide recruitment.
Looking back at her time in Meta, Stonelake expressed her disappointment, saying she once believed in Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for a connected world. She questioned whether positive moments like Zuckerberg’s participation in San Francisco Pride and his Harvard opening speech were real. Stonelake noted that as she progressed through her career, she observed a decrease in tolerance for tasks among her senior male colleagues.
