Anyone actually filed small claims against Meta? Considering it (Oregon)

Ellie2026-08-28 03:40 UTC640 views

My account has been disabled since June ('child sexual exploitation', which is absurd, I'm a 61 year old retired nurse who posts quilts). Appeal rejected. Filed complaints with the Oregon DOJ consumer protection and the FTC, got automated acknowledgements and nothing else. I keep seeing people mention small claims court, the coffee shop owner in New Hampshire who won a couple of years ago, etc. Has anyone here actually done it? Where did you file, how did you serve them, did it go anywhere? I'm not looking to get rich, I just want my account and my photos back.

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5 comments

Marcus2026-08-28 05:10 UTC
Filed in my county (Washington state) in the spring. Paid the fee and served them the way the court clerk told me to. About 3 weeks before the hearing I got an email from someone on their legal team, the account was restored a week later and I dismissed the case. So it worked for me, but I know it doesn't for everyone.
Anonymous2026-08-28 14:30 UTC
Counterpoint: mine got dismissed. The judge spent most of the hearing on where disputes are supposed to go under the terms. FB and IG have different terms on this, so read the section for whichever app it is, and your local court's rules, before you pay the fee.
Ellie2026-08-28 16:05 UTC
@Marcus that's encouraging, thank you. How long was it between filing and that email?
1. Marcus2026-08-29 01:20 UTC
  About 6 weeks. Keep the claim short and factual: what happened, the dates, and what you want (access restored, or at least your data).
Dana2026-08-30 19:45 UTC
Separate thing: ask for your data even if you never file. Some US states have privacy laws that give you a right to get a copy of your personal data, and I think Oregon is one of them. Worth checking, it's a different process from getting the account back.