Facebook hit by $500,000 lawsuit for mystery account closure

by Steven Mostyn - Jan 27 2011, 14:59

A disgruntled user has targeted Facebook with a hefty $500,000 USD lawsuit after his account was unceremoniously shuttered in September of 2010 by the world’s leading social network.

The suit in question outlines that Mustafa Fteja of Staten Island, New York, relied on his account as an important means of connecting with some 340 friends and family members spread throughout his home country of Montenegro, as well as Albania, Germany and Austria.

The filing also accuses Facebook of racial discrimination, while Mr. Fteja, who's a Muslim, contends that the account and the personal photographs posted to it are his property. 

According to 39-year-old Mr. Fteja, he’s spent several months trying to get Facebook to provide a concrete reason for the closure, but has only ever received a cursory email flagging an unspecified violation of the network’s terms of use.

“You call, they don’t answer the phone,” grumbled Mr. Fteja regarding attempts to pry a detailed explanation from Facebook. “You write, they don’t reply.”

“I know one thing—I didn’t do anything [wrong],” he added. “I didn’t violate anything.”

Drawing a somewhat tenuous parallel between Facebook’s conduct and the lack of rights he experienced back in communist Montenegro, Mr. Fteja insists he’s attacking Facebook for justice, not the money.

News of this latest Facebook account closure comes after Zuckerberg & Co. disabled the access of UK resident Kate Middleton, claiming that she was using the account to impersonate the future wife of Prince William.

Facebook has not officially commented on the matter.

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