An Indiana attorney who shares the same name as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is battling with the social media company over recurring account suspensions.
Mark S. Zuckerberg, an established bankruptcy lawyer from Indianapolis, initiated legal action against Meta on September 2. He claims that Facebook has continually disabled his business and personal accounts solely because of his name similarity to the well-known tech CEO.
The suit, filed in Marion Superior Court, accuses Meta of negligence and breach of contract.
The attorney reports that his accounts have been deactivated no less than nine times over the past eight years, causing interruptions in client interactions and leading to financial losses from missed advertising opportunities.
On this day in history, Feb. 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg’s The Facebook launched for Harvard students (Taylor Hill/Getty Images/iStock)
The lawsuit seeks restoration and maintenance of his accounts, reimbursement for lost advertising, and attorney’s fees.
Despite his reluctance to engage in this dispute, Zuckerberg was prompted to act after Facebook recently suspended an account linked to his sister’s Tampa homeowners association, again citing name impersonation concerns.
“They flagged my name on my sister’s list, resulting in the account suspension over the weekend, accusing me of impersonating someone,” he explained.
“If Mark wants to fly here personally and say ‘I’m sorry’ or maybe let me spend a week on his boat, I’d probably take him up on that.”
A Meta spokesperson responded, “We addressed this issue swiftly upon learning of the lawsuit and have since reinstated Zuckerberg’s account. Here is our statement:”
We have reinstated Mark Zuckerberg’s account, after finding it had been disabled in error. We appreciate Mr. Zuckerberg’s continued patience on this issue and are working to try and prevent this from happening in the future.”
