Indiana Lawyer Named Mark Zuckerberg Sues Meta Over Repeated Facebook Account Suspensions
Attorney says five shutdowns in eight years and removal of paid ads cost him thousands and amount to breach of contract
An Indiana attorney who shares the name of Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has sued Facebook parent company Meta, alleging the social media platform repeatedly suspended his account, falsely accused him of impersonating a celebrity and cost him thousands of dollars in lost business.
The lawsuit, filed in Marion Superior Court by Mark S. Zuckerberg, says his Facebook account has been disabled five times over the past eight years. The filing contends that Meta took down paid advertising he bought, amounting to $11,000, and thus breached its contract by denying him the benefit of the ads he paid for.
The complaint says the account interruptions have caused lost business and financial harm. "It's not funny," Mark S. Zuckerberg told WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. "Not when they take my money." The suit notes the attorney has practised law for 38 years, long before Mark E. Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, rose to prominence.
According to the complaint, the advertising removal was improper and compared the action to buying "a billboard on the side of the highway" only to have it covered up so it provides no benefit. The filing asserts that pattern of suspensions and the removal of paid promotional material justify damages and hold Meta responsible for contractual breaches.
Meta said it had reinstated the lawyer's account and was taking steps to prevent the mistake from recurring. The company did not provide further detail in the statement cited by BBC News.
The case highlights recurring questions about how social platforms enforce impersonation and identity policies and the consequences for users whose names match public figures. Facebook and other platforms maintain rules intended to prevent impersonation and protect accounts, and those rules can lead to account restrictions or removals when a profile is reported or flagged.
The lawsuit is pending in Marion Superior Court. It does not appear to be the first time media attention has focused on the coincidence of identical names between private individuals and public figures, but it adds a commercial dimension by centring on paid advertising and alleged financial loss.
Court filings, the attorney and Meta may provide further specifics as the litigation proceeds. The case will test how platforms balance automated and human review of identity claims with the rights of users who share names with public figures and who use paid services on those platforms.