Mark Zuckerberg the Attorney sues Meta over impersonation claims

An Indiana attorney who shares his name with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has filed a lawsuit against Meta, claiming the social media platform repeatedly disabled his account under the mistaken belief that he was impersonating a celebrity.

Mark S. Zuckerberg, a bankruptcy lawyer practicing for nearly four decades, says his Facebook account has been shut down five times in the last eight years.

He alleges the suspensions have cost him thousands of dollars in lost business, as well as advertising payments that were improperly canceled.

In the lawsuit, filed in Marion Superior Court, Zuckerberg accuses Meta of breaching its contract by removing ads he had paid for. He told Indianapolis station WTHR-TV that he spent about $11,000 on Facebook advertising. 

“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,” he said.

The attorney said Meta repeatedly questioned his identity, even after he submitted photo identification, credit card details, and multiple images of his face. Emails shared with local media show that Facebook accused him of not using his “authentic name.” Zuckerberg has stressed the distinction between himself Mark Steven Zuckerberg and Meta’s chief executive, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg.

His most recent suspension occurred in May and, according to him, his account was only restored after the lawsuit was filed. Meta later confirmed the reinstatement, stating 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,” the company said.

Zuckerberg, who runs a website documenting cases of mistaken identity tied to his name, noted that the confusion has caused him professional and personal complications over the years, including once being inadvertently sued by the state of Washington