Indiana Lawyer Files Lawsuit Against Meta
An Indiana attorney who shares a name with Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has taken legal action against the tech giant, claiming that his accounts have been repeatedly shut down. Mark S. Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer in Indianapolis for almost four decades, filed his suit on September 2nd.
The lawsuit, submitted in Marion Superior Court, alleges negligence and breach of contract on Meta’s part. Over the past eight years, Zuckerberg contends that his account has faced at least nine suspensions, hampering communication with clients and leading to significant ad revenue losses.
“It feels like they’re doing this on purpose,” he remarked. “You’d think a sophisticated company would have a better way to prevent this.” His legal team maintains that his identity is genuine, and he stresses that he’s not impersonating anyone, not even the Meta CEO.
According to the lawsuit, Zuckerberg has experienced five suspensions of his business account and four of his personal profile. The most recent suspension has lasted over four months, despite multiple complaints. He estimates that this has cost him around $11,000 in wasted advertisement funds.
“It’s unfair that they can take my money while my account remains closed,” he said. Reflecting on past shutdowns, he noted a six-month downtime after his account was initially disabled, and this latest episode was no less impactful, leading to considerable lost business.
Interestingly, Zuckerberg mentioned an incident where his sister’s account, linked to their Tampa Homeowners Association, was also suspended, wrongly associating it with him. “They flagged me as someone impersonating a real person,” he explained.
A spokesperson for Meta responded to the lawsuit, stating that they are looking into the matter. They confirmed that the initial suspension of Zuckerberg’s account was accidental and expressed appreciation for his patience while addressing the issues.
The lawsuit seeks to restore his accounts, recover lost advertising revenue, and request attorney’s fees. However, Zuckerberg has expressed that he’d rather not engage in this battle. “If Mark wants to come here and apologize personally or spend a few days on his boat, that’d be something,” he added with a hint of frustration.
