BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) ? A New York man who’s suing for part ownership of Facebook has been fined $5,000 by a federal judge for failing to fully comply with an order to turn over his email account information.
Paul Ceglia (SEHG’-lee-uh) of Wellsville in Allegany County was also ordered to pay some of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s legal expenses.
The sanctions are a setback for Ceglia’s claim in U.S. District Court that a 2003 contract he and Zuckerberg signed entitles him to half ownership of the social networking site estimated to be worth more than $50 billion.
The judge issued the sanctions late Tuesday, faulting Ceglia for ordering his lawyers not to fully obey his orders.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook claims Ceglia’s contract is fake. Ceglia’s lawyer says his client will pay the penalties.
