A former Meta employee was rehired by the company despite being accused of stalking a co-worker for over a year, according to a lawsuit.

• A former Meta employee has filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of retaliation and negligence after the tech giant rehired a staffer who had been accused of stalking and harassment.
• Meta's restructuring of its business led to the elimination of its talent and recruitment department, resulting in a lawsuit.
• "The employee said to CNBC, "I believed my employer could ensure my safety, but this individual, who poses a hazard, was allowed back into the workplace.""

A former employee who was blacklisted for stalking and harassing an employee was rehired by the tech giant after it dismantled its talent and recruitment department, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

A suit filed in New York Supreme Court on behalf of Meta employee James Napoli alleges that the company violated New York City's human rights law and negligence for hiring the person back. Additionally, the suit accuses the company of retaliation after Napoli raised concerns about the rehired person's involvement in big projects.

"I had spoken to my employer about this issue multiple times and was informed that he would not be allowed to enter our offices or be hired again. Suddenly, this person is contacting me through Meta's internal messaging system. I trusted that my employer would prioritize my safety, as stalkers and harassers are workplace hazards. However, this individual was let back into the workplace, putting not only me but also others in danger."

In March 2023, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta would be reducing the size of its recruiting team as part of a larger strategy to cut 21,000 jobs, remove layers of middle management, and operate more efficiently.

Despite Wall Street's positive response to Meta's cost-cutting measures, the company's customer service and trust and safety teams' layoffs have made it more challenging for the social networking giant to address concerns from small businesses, influencers, state and local election officials who use Facebook and Instagram, as previously reported by CNBC.

The lawsuit filed by attorneys for Napoli claims that Meta's cost-cutting measures and layoffs have led to the company relying more heavily on hiring employees through outside contractors and employing fewer recruiters to screen applicants, which has negatively impacted their ability to properly catch red flags.

"The lawsuit filed by attorneys Carrie Goldberg and Peter Romer-Friedman alleges that Meta's employment practices are chaotic, reckless, and ineffective, resulting in the company's failure to track dangerous individuals who pose a severe risk to Meta's employees. Despite this, Meta claims to the public and public officials that it has the ability to protect the personal data of billions of children and adults on its platforms."

In 2018, Meta fired a security engineer who allegedly used internal data to stalk women online.

No comment was immediately provided by Meta regarding the lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

'Do Not Hire' list

The marketing team member who was laid off from Meta in November 2022 and is accused of stalking Napoli, identified only by the initials "G.F.," was a member of Meta's marketing team before being let go.

G.F. and Napoli had a professional relationship before the layoffs, but they were not close friends. After G.F. lost his job, he contacted Napoli for support and asked to meet for coffee. During their conversation, the accused stalker made inappropriate comments, according to the filing.

Napoli remembered that he was told by him that he hears voices, God talks to him, and God had been talking to him about me since April of that year, and he sent me a list of documents that were his like journal entries over the months.

Napoli immediately reported the incident to his manager and HR, and initially, he was concerned about G.F.'s well-being. However, over the next year, the situation worsened.

G.F. frequently contacted his family members and referenced Napoli's partner, friends, and dog, Luigi, in messages.

The lawsuit alleges that G.F. discovered Napoli's residence and delivered a large ream of disturbing writings and drawings to his apartment, resulting in Napoli and his partner being forced to relocate.

"I felt like I was drowning for a long time because I couldn't escape. It was terrifying," said Napoli. "I was worried about going out, my dog, and my partner because they were all mentioned by that person."

According to the lawsuit, Napoli considered filing a restraining order against G.F., but under New York state law, orders of protection are only available to individuals with an intimate or familial relationship with their stalker.

In September 2023, Napoli informed Meta that the stalking had intensified in terms of frequency and severity. The HR department assured him that G.F. was on the company's "Do Not Hire" and "No Entry" lists, which prohibit certain individuals from being hired or entering company buildings.

"I was horrified when I returned to work after being assured of my safety, and immediately went to HR. They were equally shocked and had no explanation for what happened. They promised to investigate."

Terminated again

Napoli was terrified of interacting with G.F. at work for a month until Meta informed him that G.F. had been terminated. However, after G.F. lost his job a second time, his stalking and harassment of Mr. Napoli intensified and became more creative, sexually violent, and obsessive, according to the lawsuit.

While grappling with continued stalking, Napoli also faced retaliation at Meta for complaining to his managers and HR about the decision to rehire G.F.

Meta had assigned Napoli to lead an AI marketing campaign, but after he raised concerns, those projects were removed, and he was given fewer responsibilities.

Napoli is seeking damages in his complaint against G.F. and Meta, but has not specified an amount. He is also requesting the court to issue judgments that would prevent G.F. from being rehired at Meta and prevent the company from engaging in any further discriminatory or retaliatory actions against him.

""I want to do my job with passion and pride, without feeling like the shoe is going to drop," said Napoli."

Meta should make reforms to prevent similar incidents from occurring, as Napoli revealed his story to bring about change.

"It appears to me that the proper procedures are not in place to prevent this from happening to either me or someone else," stated Napoli. "All employees deserve a safe work environment."