Background
Mark Zuckerberg is a household name due to his highly successful social networking platform, Facebook. The platform has around 2.7 billion monthly active users and reported revenues of over $17 billion in the third quarter of 2020. It is one of the largest and most influential companies, not only in the United States but worldwide. As such, Zuckerberg himself has come under intense scrutiny over the years, which have resulted in lawsuits. Over the years, Zuckerberg has faced multiple lawsuits, and here we discuss who sued him and why.
Paul Ceglia vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2010, Paul Ceglia, a resident of Wellsville, NY, sued Mark Zuckerberg, claiming that he had entered into a contract with him back in 2003. The contract, according to Ceglia, stated that he was due a 50% stake in the resulting company. Ceglia claimed that Facebook was the company in question, meaning he was due half the company.
The lawsuit went to court but the suit was eventually dismissed. Zuckerberg and his legal team had evidence to show that the contract was fraudulent – it had several falsified documents, and the claims could not be verified. This did not stop Ceglia however, as he amended and restated his case several times, only to be unsuccessful each time. Unsurprisingly, the lawsuit did not garner any sympathy from the public and was eventually dropped after 8 years when a federal court upheld the ruling that the contract was fraudulent.
Divya and Lalitangela Modi vs Mark Zuckerberg
The brother-sister duo of Divya Narendra and Lalitangela Modi filed a suit against Zuckerberg in 2004. The siblings, who were Harvard undergraduates at the time, had been working on their social networking platform, HarvardConnection (later known as ConnectU) since 2003. They accused Zuckerberg of stealing their source code and using it to develop the Facebook platform.
The court ruled in favour of the Modi siblings in 2009, after Zuckerberg failed to refute the claims of stolen code. He was ordered to pay $65 million to the siblings in cash and stock. The settlement, however, was revised in 2011, with only a $20 million payment and no stock. Both ConnectU founders received $10 million, with the money being split between their legal team and the duo.
Max Schrems vs Mark Zuckerberg
Max Schrems, an Austrian lawyer, filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg and his company in 2016. This was concerning the use of what is known as Safe Harbour principles to host user data in servers located in the US. These principles were invalidated in 2015 by a ruling that was handed down by the European Court of Justice. As a result, Schrems argued that by using the Safe Harbour principles, Zuckerberg had violated the privacy of many users in the EU.
The lawsuit intimated that the privacy of 27 members was violated by the use of the Safe Harbour principles and demanded that the court should issue an injunction against Facebook. After much deliberation, a verdict in favour of Schrems was issued, with the court ordering Facebook to stop using the Safe Harbour principles and to comply with EU data protection laws.
Mark Zuckerberg vs Creator of Facemash
Mark Zuckerberg has also been a defendant in a lawsuit. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, creators of the Harvard University-based Facemash, sued Zuckerberg in 2004. The twins accused him of stealing the idea behind their website and using it to create Facebook. The lawsuit was the subject of the Academy Award-winning movie The Social Network, which focused on the rivalry between the Winklevosses and Zuckerberg.
The lawsuit was settled out of court, with Coinbase receiving a payment of $65 million in cash and stock. The twins were also given a blanket injunction barring them from filing any lawsuits relating to the development of Facebook. This was effectively the only legal battle that Zuckerberg has lost.
Ramya Joseph vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2014, Ramya Joseph, a resident of Texas, sued Zuckerberg, claiming that he had infringed the copyright on her photograph of a young girl. Joseph had uploaded the photo to her Facebook page in 2011 and two years later found that the same photo had been used in an infographic about economic mobility by the Zuckersberg-funded political action committee FWD.us.
Joseph brought the case to court and eventually won. The jury found that FWD.us had violated her copyright, awarding her $1.5 million in damages in 2017. This case highlighted the importance of copyright law and emphasised that intellectual property should be respected by everyone.
Exploited and Vulnerable Populations VS Mark Zuckerberg
In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by the residents of El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia, who claim that the Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp exploited and misrepresented its services to the people of Bolivia. They claim that WhatsApp mishandled their data and aggressively marketed its services to vulnerable populations.
The Plaintiffs allege that Facebook and WhatsApp “purposefully denied El Alto and La Paz residents the information and resources necessary to make informed decisions and to protect their data and privacy.” The complaint also claims that “Facebook and WhatsApp have created and maintained an environment where the people of El Alto and La Paz are vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation.”
At this point, the lawsuit is still ongoing and the outcome is unclear. If successful, it could have a huge impact on how tech companies operate, as it could place stricter restrictions on the data that is collected by tech companies, leading to better protection of people’s data.
Appeal vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by The North Cherokee Tribal Council who alleged that Facebook had infringed their ancestral land and that some of their tribal members had lost out on potential livelihoods, as the company harvested data from their land without any prior authorization.
The Council further claimed that Facebook had violated their cultural integrity and that the company’s activities on their land had also resulted in natural damage to their heritage sites. The Council claimed that Zuckerberg had apportioned areas of his reservation to focus on data harvesting activities which resulted in numerous waterways being contaminated and the land being damaged.
The lawsuit was unsuccessful and the tribal council appealed, however the appeal court ruled against them. The court noted that there was no evidence to suggest that Facebook had intentionally caused any damage and emphasised the importance of the company’s activities in furthering scientific and technological advancement.
Puerto Rico vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico who alleged that Facebook had violated their lobbying laws. The lawsuit claimed that Facebook had lobbied Puerto Rican government officials in an attempt to influence tax regulations. The suit also claimed that Facebook had broken lobbying regulations when it paid some officials for their silence in order to avoid any public scrutiny into their lobbying activities.
The suit was eventually dropped after the two parties reached a settlement agreement. The terms of the agreement remain confidential and it is unclear what led to the settlement. It may, however, suggest that the Puerto Rican government was not convinced of the merits of its case.
Democratic Voters vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2020, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by a number of Democratic voters who alleged that the company had violated their rights to free speech. The lawsuit claimed that Facebook had deliberately suppressed information that was critical of the Democratic Party and its policies.
The company was accused of banning certain topics, including certain political parties, and allowing certain content to appear while censoring other content. The lawsuit argued that this violated the freedom of speech, as Facebook was choosing what people could say and not say.
The lawsuit is currently still ongoing and as such, a verdict has not yet been reached. It will be interesting to see how this case develops and whether or not the Democratic voters can prove that Facebook has violated their right to free speech.
Free Press vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2020, Mark Zuckerberg was sued by the press freedom organisation Free Press who alleged that Facebook had violated their rights to freedom of expression. The lawsuit claimed that Facebook had removed posts and blocked accounts belonging to journalists and other media personalities who had criticised their policies.
The lawsuit focused on Facebook’s decision to remove posts belonging to Amnesty International, arguing that this action had a “chilling effect” on free speech and expression. In response, Facebook removed the posts but did not comment on the lawsuit. This case is still ongoing and it will be interesting to see how it develops and what impact it has on press freedom.
Facebook vs Mark Zuckerberg
In 2020, Facebook took legal action against Mark Zuckerberg for alleged “misconduct.” The company claimed that the founder had used his position as CEO for personal gain and to benefit his own business interests.
Facebook went after Zuckerberg for company funds and assets that he is alleged to have transferred to himself without prior authorization. It also accused him of deliberately interfering in investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and other organisations into the company’s privacy practices. The lawsuit is ongoing and the outcome is still uncertain.
