A weatherman who runs online forecasting services and blogs from time to time for Patch said Friday he is seeking funds to sue Facebook for canceling his account.
Kevin Martin, CEO and Senior Meteorologist for TheWeatherSpace.com gained notoriety in July when he recorded a high temperature of 135.5 degrees at Badwater Basin in Death Valley, claiming he "likely" documented a new record for the hottest temperature on Earth.
On Friday Nov. 15, Martin contacted Patch:
"Facebook disabled my account for an unknown reason. It's like I didn't do a thing and they won't tell me what. So I lost all my pages. The temp page for SCWXA is now - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-California-Weather-Authoritycom/570694506335784"
He has set up a page titled "TheWeatherSpace.com Preparing To Sue Facebook In Wrongful Termination Of Business Account" where he states:
"Since this account was attached to paying them for advertising in the past, it will be grounds for a lawsuit. Since the personal account was attached to 759 friends I may never get back, it will be grounds for a lawsuit. And for me having a disability … It is grounds for a lawsuit for discrimination. All business pages are unpublished, but NOT gone … meaning they can return if we win this battle. And we will win it one way or the other.
"Facebook will be handed a lawsuit if the last of the talks do not work. We are sending everything we can over as we speak, including hate pages about me, hate sites, and libel. This was all created online due to jealous/envious weather idiots, which is why I DO NOT associate with them nor care to be."
Facebook representatives could not be reached to comment for this report.
Martin said Friday afternoon that more than a hundred people joined his effort online in the past few hours. Martin said he had messaged Facebook appeals reps several times and had not heard back from them.
Martin, 29, of Corona, said his disabilities are "autism and obsessive compulsive disorder."
"That is why I am focused on one thing - the weather," Martin said.
For more info about The Weather Space visit www.theweatherspace.com.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.