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

The lawsuit had been ongoing for many years and would have forced top-level executives to speak before the court.

A landmark trial on board oversight ends abruptly as Meta leaders settle multibillion-dollar lawsuit over privacy lapses.