Mark Zuckerberg, not the Facebook founder, sues Meta over repeated account suspensions

In an unusual case of mistaken identity, an Indianapolis bankruptcy attorney, Mark S Zuckerberg, who happens to share a name with the Facebook founder, has filed a lawsuit against the social media platform. The bankruptcy lawyer is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over repeated account suspensions.Attorney Zuckerberg’s accounts have been flagged for “impersonating a celebrity” due to his shared name with the Meta CEO. The Indiana-based attorney claims his account has been disabled five times in the last eight years, costing him thousands of dollars in lost revenue, BBC reported.

In his lawsuit, the lawyer states that he has been practising law for 38 years, long before Facebook became a popular social media platform.

Speaking with WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, Indiana, Zuckerberg expressed his frustration, stating, “It’s not funny. Not when they take my money.”
“I’m Mark Steven. And he’s Mark Elliot,” he added.”And using a false name! Which I’ve had way longer than he has. 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!” he added.

The case, filed in Marion Superior Court, claims that Meta is in breach of contract since the plaintiff paid $11,000 (£8,200) for advertising that was wrongfully removed.

Zuckerberg, the lawyer, likened the experience to buying a billboard and having it covered up, rendering the payment useless. “It’s like buying a billboard on the side of the highway, paying the people for the billboard and then they come and put a giant blanket over it and you don’t get the benefit of what you paid for. It’s not fair. it’s not right and they need to stop,” he added.

According to emails released by Zuckerberg to local media, Facebook accused him of not using his “authentic name”. He mentioned that he has submitted identification documents, including his photo ID, credit cards, and images of his face, to prove his identity. His account was closed in May and only reinstated after he filed a lawsuit.

Meta has acknowledged the error and reinstated Zuckerberg’s account after “finding it had been disabled in error”. In a statement to 13News, a company spokesperson said, “We appreciate Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future.”