Baltimore attorney Barry Glazer launches a class-action lawsuit against Meta and Google for enabling illegal squatter networks that are brazenly selling unauthorized access to vacant properties across the city.
Key Takeaways
- Baltimore attorney Barry Glazer has filed a class-action lawsuit against Meta and Google for allegedly harboring illegal squatter networks on their platforms
- The lawsuit claims these tech giants have failed to enforce counter-fraud regulations, allowing unauthorized property access and illegal leasing to flourish
- Squatter networks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube offer tours and keys to illegally accessed properties, often advertised openly as “squatter houses”
- These schemes significantly increase liability and maintenance costs for legitimate property owners while extending costly eviction processes
- The case has been filed in U.S. District Court for Maryland and follows Glazer’s ongoing litigation against Facebook Marketplace
Social Media Giants Accused of Enabling Property Theft Schemes
Baltimore real estate attorney Barry Glazer has initiated a significant legal challenge against tech behemoths Meta and Google, accusing them of facilitating widespread property theft through their platforms. The proposed class-action complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for Maryland, alleges that these companies have effectively created safe havens for illegal squatter networks operating on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. These networks brazenly advertise unauthorized access to vacant properties, threatening legitimate property owners and undermining lawful commerce in Baltimore’s already challenged real estate market.
According to court documents, these squatter networks operate with surprising openness, offering keys and tours of illegally accessed properties that they have no legal right to lease or sell. Even more shocking is that many of these illicit offerings are explicitly advertised as “squatter houses” on these platforms, with minimal intervention from the tech companies that host them. The lawsuit contends that Meta and Google’s failure to enforce basic fraud prevention measures has allowed these criminal enterprises to flourish, causing substantial financial harm to property owners.
Financial Impact on Property Owners and Communities
Glazer and his co-plaintiff Gina Gargue detail in their complaint how these squatter schemes dramatically increase both liability and maintenance costs for real estate companies and individual property owners. When unauthorized occupants take over vacant properties, legitimate owners face significant expenses to secure their properties, repair damage, and navigate the complex legal process of eviction. These additional costs can quickly mount into thousands of dollars per property, creating a substantial financial burden across Baltimore’s real estate sector.
“I can’t believe they’re getting away with it,” said Barry Glazer, the Baltimore attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Beyond the immediate financial impact, these schemes extend property vacancies by forcing owners through lengthy eviction processes, directly depriving companies of sales income they would otherwise generate. This creates a destructive cycle that contributes to neighborhood decline, as properties remain in limbo during legal proceedings. The economic impact ripples through communities already struggling with property value stability, potentially deterring legitimate investment in affected areas and undermining revitalization efforts across Baltimore.
Widespread Fraud Operating in Plain Sight
What makes this case particularly compelling is the brazen nature of these illegal operations. Rather than operating in shadows, these networks openly advertise their services across major social platforms, seemingly without fear of consequences. Glazer’s lawsuit points to numerous examples where squatter networks explicitly offer unauthorized access to properties, complete with tours and key transfers, all conducted through verified accounts on Meta and Google platforms that remain active despite clearly violating platform policies and state laws.
“It’s going on everywhere,” Stated Glazer, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem.
The lawsuit contends that these tech giants have prioritized profit over protection, allowing illegal activities to continue despite having both the technological capability and legal obligation to prevent such blatant fraud. This case represents Glazer’s broader mission to hold major technology companies accountable for their platforms’ misuse. It follows his ongoing litigation against Facebook Marketplace over counterfeit coin sales, establishing a pattern of seeking corporate accountability for online platforms that facilitate illegal transactions while profiting from the associated advertising and user engagement.
Legal Precedent and Potential Impact
This class-action lawsuit could establish important precedents regarding the responsibilities of social media platforms to police illegal activity. While Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has historically provided tech companies with broad immunity from liability for user-generated content, recent court decisions have begun narrowing this protection. Glazer’s legal strategy appears to focus on demonstrating that Meta and Google’s algorithmic promotion and monetization of these illegal listings moves beyond mere hosting into active facilitation of criminal enterprises.
If successful, this lawsuit could force major tech platforms to implement more robust screening and enforcement mechanisms for property listings, potentially disrupting a criminal enterprise that has taken root across social media. For Baltimore property owners and real estate investors, a favorable outcome could mean significant relief from the financial and security burdens imposed by these unauthorized occupancy schemes, while sending a powerful message to tech giants about their responsibility to prevent their platforms from becoming digital marketplaces for illegal activities.
