Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence during a scheduled appearance at the Hay festival on Sunday, unable to speak or even nod, under the terms of an interim arbitration ruling. Her lawyer, Ravi Naik of law firm AWO, said neither Wynn-Williams nor her “agents,” including himself, can promote her bestselling memoir Careless People or disparage the company without risking “punitive” damages. Naik said Meta had warned in writing that her attendance would breach the California arbitration award, and that the company would likely seek to enforce it through British courts. Meta has called the book false and defamatory, denied its sexual harassment allegations, and said Wynn-Williams was fired for “poor performance and toxic behaviour.” At the event, journalist Carole Cadwalladr introduced the panel by describing it as an author “in a hostage situation.”
