A federal lawsuit has been filed against Meta by 26 current and former employees, alleging the company's AI systems were used to target workers who had taken medical or family leave during a major layoff.
The complaint, filed in a California federal court, claims Meta's internal AI tools, including "Metamate," tracked employee activity and flagged those with lower metrics for termination during a 10% workforce reduction in May 2026.
The plaintiffs, who all had protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act in the prior two years, argue their performance scores were unfairly impacted during legally authorized absences. The AI, they claim, failed to account for this context.
Meta denies the allegations, stating all layoff decisions were made by humans. This case follows a separate age discrimination lawsuit filed against the company earlier in 2026.
The lawsuit raises significant legal questions about whether AI-driven metrics can indirectly penalize employees for exercising protected federal leave rights.