A Nigerian human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has filed a $5m lawsuit against the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, Meta Platforms Inc., to court over an alleged privacy invasion and impersonation.
In Femi Falana’s suit, filed at the Lagos State High Court on February 3, 2025, Femi Falana claimed that the tech giant wrongfully used his name, image, and voice in a false advertisement for a health product on its platform.
He added that such portrayed him as suffering from prostatitis, a disorder of the prostate gland usually associated with inflammation which causes painful or difficult urination.
The senior advocate argued that the unauthorized use of his identity constitutes a violation of his fundamental right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Sections 24(1)(A) and (E) and Section 34(1)(D) of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
Femi Falana explained further that Meta published misleading and unverified information on Facebook under the page “AfriCare Health Centre” falsely claiming he suffered from prostatitis for over 16 years with pain, fatigue, and urinary disorder.
In the court documents, Femi Falana emphasized that he had no previous record of conversation with Meta and its pages on his health issues with strong claims that the misleading video is unfair.
The senior lawyer stated that while the company focused on its desire to boost engagement and ad revenue at his expense, Meta’s failure to verify the claims before publishing had exposed him to ridicule and emotional distress,
On his request, Femi Falana is seeking an order from the company to remove the false video immediately, and $5m in general damages for the distress and reputational harm caused.
The court has yet to fix a date for the case hearing.
Also Read: Meta’s Zuckerberg donates $1m to Trump’s inauguration to ease “tensed relationship”.
Femi Falana one of several court battles for Meta
Femi Falana’s lawsuit against Meta is among other court cases the tech giant is set to face.
Last week, Kelly Stonelake, one of Meta’s earliest employees sued the company for sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and retaliation, in the state of Washington.
The employee, who spent 15 years at the company and rose to the rank of director, said she faced a cycle of gender-based discrimination and harassment that persisted from shortly after her hiring in 2009 to when she was laid off in January 2024.
Stonelake stated further that by the time she was laid off, she was on extended medical leave for post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I decided to file the lawsuit when it became clear that was the best, if not the only, way to drive accountability at Meta. Meta has the opportunity to do harm on a scale that only tech companies can,” she said while speaking with TechCrunch.
She alleged in the suit that Meta failed to take action after she reported sexual harassment and assault; retaliated against her after she flagged a video game product as racist and potentially harmful to minors; and was routinely passed over for promotions in favor of men on her team.
Also last month, Meta agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million in a 2021 lawsuit where Trump claimed he was wrongfully censored by Facebook and Instagram after the US Capitol riot.
The U.S. President had widely criticized social media platforms for suspending his accounts after January 6, 2021, spurred by comments he made that were seen as praising people engaged in the violence.
In what was seen as a victory for Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported that $22 million of the payment would go towards funding Trump’s future presidential library, with the remainder covering legal fees and payments to other plaintiffs.
Though Meta failed to admit wrongdoing over the suspensions of Trump’s accounts.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
