An Indian lawyer who shares the same name as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has filed a lawsuit against Facebook for repeatedly suspending his account, mistaking him for the company’s chief executive. Mark Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer, claimed that his verified account has been shut down for more than 15 years, costing him clients and ad funds. He says Meta wrongly flags him for “impersonating a celebrity,” despite using his real identity.
“It’s not funny,” he said. “Not when they take my money. This really pissed me off,” Zuckerberg told Indianapolis-based 13WTHR.
“And using a false name! Which I’ve had way longer than he has,” he added. “I’ve got better things to do than sue Facebook. They have more money and more lawyers and more resources than I do. I’d rather not pick a fight with them, but I don’t know how else to make them stop!”
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In May, he said, his firm’s business page was removed, causing him to lose $11,000 in advertising.
Why did he decide to sue now?
Zuckerberg didn’t immediately take Meta to court. Over the years, he repeatedly contacted Facebook whenever his accounts were suspended. The company even apologised over email, but the suspensions continued, eventually pushing him to act.
“I did everything they asked me to do, like I always do. They ask you to appeal if you think your suspension is not proper. I filed the proper appeals with them the very next day and I’ve heard nothing from them and it’s been four months. The last time they did it, it was over six months before they turned my account back on. So I don’t know how else to get their attention,” Zuckerberg said.
“For somebody who purports to be one of the leading tech companies in the world, and they can’t stop doing this? And they can’t seem to get their appeal process to work? I think they have a problem,” he added.
What is he suing for?
Zuckerberg alleged that the repeated bans have cost him client communication and thousands of dollars he invested in ads for his law practice.
In his lawsuit, he is demanding that Meta permanently restore his account. He is also seeking reimbursement for lost ad funds, attorney fees, and maintains that he has a strong chance of winning the case.