An Indiana-based lawyer named Mark S. Zuckerberg has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms after his Facebook account was repeatedly suspended for allegedly impersonating the tech billionaire Mark Elliot Zuckerberg.
The attorney, who has been practicing bankruptcy law for nearly four decades, says Facebook’s automated moderation systems wrongly flagged him multiple times. According to him, his account has been suspended five times in the past year, each time accusing him of pretending to be someone else.
Zuckerberg argues these repeated bans have caused severe disruptions to his law practice, costing him thousands of dollars in business. In his complaint filed with Marion Superior Court, he claims Meta violated its agreement by disabling his paid advertisements worth nearly $11,000 (₹8.2 lakh).
“It’s like buying a billboard and then having it covered up so no one can see it,” he explained.
The lawyer insists he provided every proof of identity — from government-issued IDs to credit cards and personal photos — but the suspensions kept recurring. “I’m Mark Steven. He’s Mark Elliot,” he clarified, pointing out that his name existed long before the billionaire’s rise to fame.
His most recent suspension occurred in May 2025, with access restored only after filing the lawsuit. Meta has since admitted the account was “disabled in error” and assured corrective measures, but the lawyer maintains the damage is already done.
“It’s not funny,” he told WRTV. “Not when they take my money.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time his name has created complications. On his personal website, the attorney documents past incidents, including one case where the state of Washington mistakenly sued him, thinking he was the Facebook founder.
The bizarre legal fight highlights the pitfalls of automated moderation systems, especially for people who share names with globally recognized figures.