An Indiana-based bankruptcy lawyer named Mark Stephen Zuckerberg is suing Facebook after the social media giant repeatedly shut down his business and personal pages, wrongly accusing him of impersonating Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The 52-year-old attorney says his life has been “turned upside down” because he shares a name with one of the world’s richest men.
Despite spending over $11,000 on Facebook ads to promote his law firm, his accounts have been disabled multiple times, leading to lost business opportunities, harassment, and even death threats.
“It’s not funny,” he told WTHR. “Not when they take my money. I’ve had the name Mark Zuckerberg way longer than he has. I just want them to stop.”
Mr. Zuckerberg explained that restoring his accounts often takes months, leaving him scrambling to communicate with clients. He accuses Facebook of violating fair dealing laws and says years of wrongful account removals pushed him to file the lawsuit.
“I’d rather not pick a fight with them,” he said. “But I don’t know how else to get their attention.”
Beyond his legal battle, Mr. Zuckerberg documents how sharing the billionaire’s name has created chaos in his life — from receiving 100 friend requests daily to constant tech-support calls, mistaken lawsuits, and being mobbed by fans in Las Vegas when a limo driver held up a sign with his name. He even uses fake names when booking restaurants to avoid pranks.
Mr. Zuckerberg, who has practiced law for 38 years — since Facebook’s founder was just three years old — says the ordeal has cost him peace of mind and business stability.
Reacting to the lawsuit, a Meta spokesperson said:
“We know there’s more than one Mark Zuckerberg in the world, and we are getting to the bottom of this.”
For now, the Indiana lawyer is seeking damages and legal fees, though he jokingly suggested an alternative settlement:
“If [Mark Zuckerberg] let me spend a week on his boat to say he’s sorry, I’d probably take him up on that.”
