Meta has reached a confidential settlement with shareholders just before a major trial over Zuckerberg’s power and board oversight was set to begin, ending a legal fight over Facebook governance.

An $8 billion US trial by Meta Platforms shareholders against Mark Zuckerberg and other current and former company leaders kicks off on Wednesday over claims that they illegally harvested the data of Facebook users in violation of a 2012 agreement with the U.

The first trial of oversight liability claims against a public company may prove riskier for Delaware’s elite business court and its chief judge than the expected star witness, Meta Platforms Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Meta Platforms is embroiled in an $8 billion trial over allegations of unlawfully harvesting Facebook user data in violation of a 2012 FTC agreement. Shareholders demand reimbursement from company leaders,